Illustration notes for Shruthi Rao's Look Out!(Pratham Books)

Illustration notes are guidelines shared by the author to a book's illustrator. Not all picture books need illustration notes. The text is enough to bring a book to life. Nonfiction books on specific topics  may need  illustration notes as accuracy is important.  Some fiction books may have one or two illustration notes to comunicate the twist in the story through an illustration.

Shruti Rao's engaging picture book, Look Again!(Pratham Books) relies heavily on illustration notes. Artist    Kalyani Ganapathy has done a wonderful job bringing Shruthi's imagination to life.

 About the book, Shruthi says,"I got this idea one morning,in those hazy moments before I completely woke up from sleep. It was just the seed of the idea. Over the next couple of days, I thought up some appropriate situations, and wrote them down."

Do browse through the ebook before you scroll down to read the illustration notes. Look Again!(Pratham Books)

Look again!

                              - Shruthi Rao

It was evening. The birds were chirping and flying back to their nests. Putti and Akka walked back from the park.

"Look, Akka! There's a butterfly on the bush!" said Putti.

"A butterfly? Look again!" said Akka.

"Huh?" said Putti. [It is just the colourful ribbon on the head of a little girl who was sitting behind the bush.]

They passed by Parvati's house.  

"Akka, look, Parvati's dog is wearing ponytails today!" said Putti.

Akka giggled. "You funny girl! Look again!" she said.

"Huh?" said Putti. [It was Parvati who was wearing two ponytails, and was sitting behind her dog, making it look like her dog had ponytails. Parvati now peeps out from behind her dog and waves.]

They walked past the big old Gulmohar tree.  

"Akka! A snake!" screamed Putti and clung to Akka.

"Oh Putti, look again!" said Akka. [She puts her arm around Putti.]

"Haaaa!" said Putti, and relaxed. [It was just the root of the tree, visible over the ground.]They passed by Raghav's house.  

"Akka, how did Raghav's mother's hair grow long so quickly? I saw her yesterday and she had short hair!" said Putti.

Akka laughed. "Putti, Putti, look again!"

"Aha!" said Putti. [It was just Raghav's mother's black dupatta that hung down her back, and looked like a long plait.]

They went past the old library.  

"Ooooh Akka!" said Putti. "Have you ever seen such a big fruit on such a small plant?"

"You're seeing things today, Putti!" Akka said, laughing and ruffling Putti's hair. "Look again!"

"Aaaah!" said Putti.  [It is a big balloon stuck in a plant, and a little girl is retrieving the balloon.  Perhaps this little girl can be shown chasing after the runaway balloon in the previous panel.]

"Walk quickly, Putti, it's getting dark!" said Akka. "Look, the streelights have been turned on!"

"Eeeeeeeee!  A monster!" shouted Putti. [A shadow on a wall looks like a claw/monstrous profile]

"Aw, look again, Putti!" said Akka.

"Phhshhhhh!" sighed Putti, relieved. [It is just the shadow of a tree branch in the streelight.]

Putti and Akka reached home.  

[They see slippers outside the door.]"Look, Putti!  Aren't these Ajji's slippers?" asked Akka.

They peered in through the window. [They catch a glimpse of someone wearing a saree, sitting at the table, with their back to the window.]

"Yes, Putti! Ajji is here! She said she would bring chakli!" said Akka.

"Better look again, Akka," said Putti. "What if that is not Ajji? What if it's someone else wearing a saree? What if it's just a saree draped over a chair? What if it's just a bundle of clothes. What if...."

"Look again, Putti!" said Akka.

It WAS Ajji!

And she had brought chakli!
THE END

 Check out Shruthi Rao's stories for older children :  Manya Learns to Roar,Susie Will Not Speak!