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Young World
Welcome to the world of books
ANJANA RAJAN
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There’s nothing like reading to make your vacation great.
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Variety fare: Books to read
Endless summer days, a cool room protected from the sun, and a good, gripping book. Is that your idea of vacation bliss? If it is, there are plenty of new publications out there on the bookshelves, waiting to welcome you into their world of words.
Colourful and lavishly illustrated, they entice with their looks as much as with their message.
As books go, there are few that match the beauty and elegance of Mapin publications.
This time Mapin has tied up with HarperCollins Publishers to bring out four unique books. The first is “The Kidnapping of Amir Hamza” by Mamta Dalal Mangaldas and Saker Mistri.
This story is from the Hamzanama (“Story of Hamza”), an epic that contained hundreds of tales, popular during the Mughal period.
Tales of interest
The story of the Hamzanama itself is as interesting as the tales in it. In the 16th Century, when Emperor Akbar came to the throne, he was only 13 years old. He commissioned an illustrated version of the Hamzanama. By the time the 100 artists working on the project finished the job, he was a grown man. It took them 15 years to make over 1400 paintings. “The Kidnapping of Amir Hamza” uses some of these illustrations and is bound to grip your interest. Another publication from the Mapin-Harper Collins tie-up that will interest those with a taste for art is “Captured in Miniature — Mughal Lives through Mughal Art” by Suhag Shirodkar.
Elemental
If it’s just a great story you’re after, there is “The Traveller, the Tiger and the Very Clever Jackal” by Reshma Ansari Sapre with illustrations by Jessica Lian. The same author has also come up with “In the Indian Night Sky”. Though it sounds like a scientific title, the book, illustrated by Jayme E. Robinson, is about a grand feast hosted by Thunder and Lightning for the Wind, Moon and Sun. Sounds like quite a party!
As for great stories, Katha has brought out translations into Hindi of works by well known authors in various Indian languages. The works are in abridged form.
There is the mystery-filled tale “Padak” by Bibhuti Bhushan Bandhopadhyaya and “Curfew” by Manoj.
Build your vocabulary
While the first is originally in Bengali, the second is a Dogri story.
These slim books printed in easily readable font are great — besides being a good read — to practise your Hindi over the holidays! Besides, the books provide a paragraph on the inside front cover introducing the author.
Speaking of learning, Wisdom Tree offers the “Tales of Wisdom” series that helps you build your English vocabulary while you catch up with the ancient epics. Krishna, Ganesha, Hanuman and Buddha form the subject of these books, whose titles are all serialised as “Little Monk’s…”.
While the four books are authored by Pooja Pandey, the illustrator for “Little Monk’s Krishna” and “Buddha” is Subir Roy, while for “Hanuman” and “Ganesha” it is Arya Praharaj. These books are written in simple English, with big or complicated words highlighted in bold letters.
A glossary at the end explains the meanings. These books are good for younger kids and those trying to improve their grip on English, but they would make great gifts as well.
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