From tales about the young Pandavas to those of grannies with ninja powers, here’s our curation of the best just-launched kiddie literature that’s delightful and educational to get your kids through summer
Germs
Germs in watercolour
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Rea Malhotra
In the thick of the first lockdown, Rea Malhotra Mukhtyar got thinking about how children might be making sense of this strange, new world, where cuddles and adventure were suddenly out of bounds. “Given that I am a teacher, I was particularly keen to make something that helped adults explain the pandemic to children. Inspired by a certain pesky virus that just won’t go away, I wrote The Germ Academy in mid-May of 2020,” says the teacher with the Bombay International School, Mumbai.
She reached out on social media, looking for an illustrator to collaborate with, and mutual friends put her in touch with Shahena. “We knew from the beginning that we wanted the book to appeal to both adults and children. Big fans of watercolour’s whimsical nature, we immediately decided to create a vibrant world of germs—some a humorous interpretation of their name [chickenpox], others influenced by the germ’s actual genetic make-up [flu],” Mukhtyar adds.
What: The Germ Academy; HarperCollins Publishers India
For: Rs 299
Nani has got your back
This is the fourth title in the Ninja Nani series of middle-grade novels that follow the madcap adventures of Deepu and his granny, who is accidentally zapped with ninja powers. Author Lavanya Karthik says, “Each book features a cast of quirky characters, including a 93-year-old alien hunter, the Mayor’s mummy and a little dog with a superhero dream of his own.
Lavanya Karthik
Add in some villains, a dash of mystery, a sprinkling of danger, and some ninja moves. That, in a nutshell, is Ninja Nani!” Karthik wanted to write a book that she would want to read. “Something irreverent, packed with jokes and comics, and rooted in present-day India.”
What: Ninja Nani and the Freaky Food Festival; Penguin
For: Rs 250