shyamala's world

  C.G.Salamander aka Andrew David is out with two mystery chapter books for young readers in the 6-10 years. While Yamini and the 7PM Ghosts is published by Scholastic India, Moodunnit is from Duckbill(Penguin Random House).Andrew shared a bit of information for his readers about his new releases. 1. You seem to be on a mystery book writing spree. Passing phase? Or just testing to your writing abilities in this genre? I am, and it's so much fun! I just sent out a middle grade mystery the other day, and I have a chapter book mystery that I'm editing at the moment. So, I don't think it's a passing phase, I've always enjoyed writing mystery and I think I'm going to continue to enjoy it. You are right about the exploring my writing abilities bit though, and more so when I write across age groups. For really young readers, I write like I'm rooting for them to solve the mystery, I'm sneaky with middle grade books, and with YA, I genuinely want to make a mo...

Bengaluru based award winning children's  author Asha Nehemiah is out with a new book for early readers. Part of Duckbill(PRH) Hook Book series, The Grand Chapati Contest is a delectable tale around the simple chapati. Chetan Sharma's illustrations are captivating and Asha's story engages the readers till the end. Asha Nehemiah shares more about her book written in simple language for 5-7 years.                                   1. What inspired you to write The Grand Chapati Contest? I’m quite an adventurous and experimental cook. I can make fancy cakes and biryanis and even my hand-rolled lasagna sheets! But I’ve always failed miserably at making soft, round chapatis.  That’s what gave me the idea. I had to set the story in a palace – because who else but a queen could organise a ‘Grand Chapati Contest’?   2. Have you ever taken part in a Chapati making contest? How good are you at ma...

The fourth book in PRH Duckbill's nonfiction series for 8-12-year-old  kids, 10 Indian Champions Who Are Fighting To Save the Planet  is an  interesting read about people who are doing their bit to preserve the  environment for the present and future generations. This book  spotlights  ten eco champions and equips with you with information  to do your bit for the environment.  A must for every home and school library! Radha Rangarajan, co-author of this book, shares more details.                                          1. What criteria did you choose to shortlist the champions for this book?   We first came up with a list of names of all the inspiring people who have worked on and are continuing to work on wildlife conservation, research and environmental issues. Some of the topics we wanted to cover were - birds, large mammals, marin...

Author of award wining book, Kittu's Mad Day Out, is out with her next book for kids- Friends Behind Walls. Published by Puffin and richly illustrated by Krishna Bala Shenoi,  Friends Behind Walls is sure to entertain you! Harshikaa shares more about the book: Your second book has arrived after three years. Are you happy with the way the book has turned out? I am thrilled with the way Friends Behind Walls has turned out! I had initially visualised it as an illustrated book for younger readers. But Smit Zaveri, my amazing editor, called me one December afternoon and pushed me to think of it as a novella. She woke up this sleepy writer who thought the story was done, and she asked her to explore more. (When you read the book, you will know what I mean.) So that sleepy writer listened to her, and here it is! How long did you take to write the book? In the last three years, I have been doing a lot – running a book club, facilitating the library programme at Akshara High – a school...

Shrilok Homeless is back with a new set of mysteries. Created by Pika Nani aka Deepika Murthy, the Mumbai chaiwallah  leaves for London to solve a new challenge in Shrilok Homeless The Ultimate Adventures( Penguin Random House India).  Ten short stories keep you glued  this weekend. Pika Nani shares a slice of her writing life here.  1. How much of your life have  you spent in Mumbai? You have covered  so many parts of Mumbai in your book. I grew up in Mumbai and have spent the first 25 years of my life there. I have tried to bring in my experiences and observations of the city and its people and culture. The plan was to have cases across the length and breadth of Mumbai in the first book, and then in the second book, to extend to other parts of India and even abroad. 2. What has contributed to Shrilok's cool demeanour inspite of his homelessness? Shrilok may be an orphan and a chaiwala, but he has a rare gift of observation and de...

                                         I Need to Pee is a recent picture book from Penguin Random House India.   The picture book rakes up the vital issue of peeing when one leaves the comfort of our homes.   With an increasing number of crimes committed on children outside/inside toilets, I hope this book initiates a much needed discussion about providing a safe toilet experience for children and adults as well.   A must for every home and school library! Kahani Takbak interviewed both the illustrators (Meenal Sigh and Eric Egerup) and author (Neha Singh) about this book. Meenal Singh  and  Erik Egerup  are currently based in Bengaluru and have a studio called Runaway Mill. With backgrounds in architecture, industrial design and game development, they deliver a wide and diverse range of creative design projects. These include illustra...