There's no avoiding the fact that children's literature has a whiteness problem. We've all seen it. If not, just Google "popular children's books" and glance at the covers of Charlotte's Web, Matilda, and Alice in Wonderland. That's why when a publisher maintains that they will stick to animal characters to keep their stories culturally neutral, it's a big deal — even if you don't entirely agree with the approach. Come April and Mumbai will see the launch of a new publishing house that aims to do exactly that.

Including animals as protagonists doesn't imply that the narrative is just about their physiology, the same way George Orwell's Animal Farm wasn't about agriculture. The titles by Daffodil Lane Books are a lesson in probing into the humaneness animals can bring about and the humanity they ought to be shown. "I grew up reading books that I was unable to relate to as an Indian. So, it was an organic decision. As a new entrant, I wanted to eliminate racial and cultural differences," shares Sanya Podar, founder of the Parel-based publishing house. A London School of Economics graduate, she came to Mumbai in 2013 and pursued a career in content creation. But the idea to start the venture named after the nickname her father had for her, Little Daffodil, was always on the cards.