A children’s novel in English by acclaimed Pakistani author Musharraf Ali Farooqi figures among two books launched by Rupa Publications India as part of its exclusive kids and young adult imprint.
From fiction to non-fiction, short story and poetry collections to quiz books and illustrated books, the Red Turtle imprint will publish for children from age eight upwards and for teenagers.
The first two books in the imprint are “Tik-Tik, The Master of Time” by the award-winning Farooqi and “Speak Up, Speak Out; My Favourite Elocution Pieces and How to Deliver Them” by quiz master-politician Derek O’Brien.
The authors list also includes the likes of Ruskin Bond, Gulzar, Paro Anand, Samit Basu and Subhadra Sen Gupta.
“Children’s publishing in India is poised for greater growth, and it made perfect sense for us to enter this space with a well-thought-out publishing programme. Year on year we are seeing imported and Indian children’s books and authors gain popularity, and we wanted Red Turtle to be part of the story backed by our publishing and sales experience,” says Kapish Mehra, managing director of Rupa Publications.
“Our list is an eclectic mix of genres, where the main criteria for selecting the titles were their readability, appeal to children, and their relevance. We are combining these with high design and production standards, so that Red Turtle will become a name that is synonymous with the best of children’s publishing in India,” says Sudeshna Shome Ghosh, publisher of Red Turtle.
According to the publishers, the first two books in the imprint are diverse yet each one will be a delight for children.
In “Speak Up, Speak Out; My Favourite Elocution Pieces and How to Deliver Them”, O’Brien brings together a treasure trove of writings of Roald Dahl, Vikram Seth, Ruskin Bond to Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama among many others and also gives his suggestions on how to become a confident and successful public speaker.
“Tik-Tik, The Master of Time” is a hilarious adventure story packed with animals, insects, birds, aliens, inventions and discoveries. It is the cosmic adventure of two children from a planet called Nopter who come to Earth searching for a way to grow up faster.
Tik-Tik lives on Nopter, where the slowness of growing up troubles him, so he embarks on a cosmic journey of discovery with his best friend, Nib-Nib; his grandpa Kip-Kip; and the inter-galactic travelling cat, Dum-Dum.
The Growing-Up-Project takes the four of them to the small blue planet, Earth, where amazing, and sometimes hilarious adventures await them. The book has illustrations by Michelle Farooqi.
Upcoming titles include “The Little Bird Who Held The Sky Up With His Feet” by Paro Anand, “My Favourite Stories: Bosky’s Panchatantra” by Gulzar and “Tigers For Dinner” by Ruskin Bond.
