A spectacular selection of the best of stories by Upendrakishore Roychoudhuri, and the most fascinating of his characters. Meet Goopy and Bagha, dedicated but unsuccessful musicians who are cast out of their homes because their music drives their families and neighbours crazy; Tuntuni, the little bird; the clever fox; Majantali Sarkar, the cat; the intrepid Granny Hunchback; and many others. Swagata Deb’s vibrant translation brings Upendrakishore’s unique magic to a wider audience, giving a new lease of life to these evergreen tales.
Catagory: Children
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Chumki and the Elephants (hOle books)
Dadi forgets everything, including Chumki’s name. When elephants escape from a nearby reserve, can it be a blessing in disguise and help Dadi remember?
The Clockwala’s Clues (hOle books)
Jasmine and Sheba want to spend the holidays finding homes for stray puppies. But to do so, they have to first solve a series of puzzles set by Sheba’s father, Clockwala Uncle. Can they do this in time?
Nyagrodha
As their train puffs away into the distance, three runaway children, Lily, Vicky and Aman, are led by Makhmal Khan the monkey into the shimmering world of the forest. . . Deep within its shadows, beyond the last cloud on the horizon, stands Nyagrodha, the ancient banyan. Within its magical labyrinth the children encounter monarchs and mice, dreamers and scholars, paupers and fortune-seekers, braggarts and burglars, foppish fish and bloodsucking bugs, gory battles and incredible flying machines. But none of these can distract them from the dangers that threaten Simha, the fierce young king and his friend Jeev, the musical bull. For the story of their tangled lives is very like the childrens’ own. Will Aman, Vicky and Lily find their way back home through the maze of stories? Or will treachery destroy the friendship between Simha and Jeev, and leave the forest wounded and bleeding forever. ‘This is an upside-down story,’ Hanumanta the Langoor warns the children. ‘A story that will turn you inside out. Will you hear it unafraid?’
Shakuntala and Other Stories from Ancient India
Six unforgettable stories of love and bravery, treachery and injustice, from ancient Indian literature. Classical Sanskrit and Tamil writing teem with myriad characters, and here we meet some truly memorable ones.
This collection of six plays, poems and epics retold for children includes ‘Shakuntala’, a heartrending story of the love between the beautiful Shakuntala and King Dushyanta; ‘The Little Clay Cart’, where the evil designs of the king and his family are foiled by the righteous Charudatta and Vasantasena; ‘The Story of an Anklet’, about Kannagi, who wreaks a terrible revenge for the wrong done to her; ‘Manimekalai’, the extraordinary account of a woman’s search for her true calling; ‘The Last Trial of Sita’, in which the playwright gives a whole new ending to the Ramayana, and ‘The Broken Thigh’, about the final, desperate combat between Duryodhana and Bheema on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Accompanied by descriptions of the authors’ lives and the time when the stories were written, these lively retellings are an ideal introduction to some of the best-known stories from the Indian classics.
Puffin Classics: The Burmese Box
‘I’m going to find that box, the box that’s been missing for a hundred years … Do you know, there are precious gems in it, worth a king’s ransom? Emeralds the size of a rooster’s egg, rubies as big as pigeons’ eggs, pearls the size of a duck’s egg!Aunt Podi’s treasured Burmese box was a part of family history. When Panchu Mama narrates the hair-raising story of how it was acquired and the mysterious circumstances in which it got lost, Goopy decides to find the fabled box and its precious contents. ‘The Burmese Box’ is an action-packed story of a family on a treasure hunt, as they grapple with devious plans and nasty crooks, a highly suspicious detective and eccentric relatives.In ‘Goopy’s Secret Diary’, con men, hidden treasures, a stolen necklace and the secret of an old mansion make for a fascinating read as we follow Goopy’s rollicking adventures in a forest.Featuring two novellas, The Burmese Box is beloved children’s author Lila Majumdar at her best. Her impeccable style and trademark humour will keep generations of readers in thrall.
The Room on the Roof
A classic coming-of-age story which has held generations of readers spellbound!
Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.
Written when the author was himself seventeen, this moving story of love and friendship, with a new introduction and illustrations will be enjoyed by a whole new generation of readers.
Ashwathy and the Boot of God
Of course, there is no such thing as the FBI branch of Kuttipuram, Kerala, but Ashwathy Venugopalan always believes in the impossible-life is more entertaining that way. And things only get more impossible in Ashwathy’s life when God arrives in a boot and requests her to investigate the murder of a woman in her town. Can Ashwathy, the atheist, crack her first case with God by her side?
A Rulebreakers’ Club Adventure
Who’ll let the dog out?
The Rulebreakers’ Club is a gang of five that’s stuck with the Worst Dog in the World. But they’ve finally found a way to get rid of him. All they have to do is catch a ghost and rob a bank. Oh, and they also have to save the world. Easy, right? Wrong! How are the Rulebreakers ever going to get out of the mess they’ve got themselves into? And where will they find this phantom ghost?
A Rulebreakers’ Club Adventure
Three boys, two girls and one dog-no, you haven’t heard this before!
The Rulebreakers’ Club is a gang of five without a dog. And, of course, gangs without dogs are just not cool. They decide to remedy this situation by kidnapping a pug named Spike. But dognapping is tricky business and dog-owning is definitely not as easy as it sounds. Can the Rulebreakers survive this trouble-making dog and save the world while they’re at it? Or will they land up in a doggone mess?