What a gorgeous book! Even though I've seen Song of the Asunam dozens of times on my social media feed, I had no idea what to expect because I avoid reading reviews before I read a book that looks exciting to me. And this book by C.G. Salamander and Rajiv Eipe is absolutely stunning!I opened the book and spent several minutes just gazing at the end papers. Six-eyed lions with trunks and tusks. Striped hyenas with manes. Tiny elephants as high as grass. Snakes with legs. Each of the mythical beasts featured there is a work of art.And then comes the story. Sweetness and adventure come together in Vetri's tale as he trains himself to be a hunter. But then, are the monsters he hunts truly monsters? Is slaying the monster the only way to save his village?I loved every page of Song of the Asunam. The words and artwork come together to create a rich experience for the reader, an … [Read more...]
Nisha Small: The Knot of Gold
Nisha Small (née Kutty) is the best detective in Madurai. And it's time for her to compete with mustachioed detectives to catch the thaali thief.A missing thaali! That's the knot of gold. But what does the word thaali mean to you? Different things depending on where you're from. Or perhaps it means nothing at all, which made me wonder about the universality of the story.Despite my questions about what unilingual people would make of the book, I couldn't help chuckling at the inter-language wordplay. I've lost track of the number of times people have asked me why south Indians write Seetha, Geetha, Bharatha Natyam ... the works. But I've never thought of writing a book about it! Nisha Small: The Knot of Gold was fun!With Nisha and Jamie, the reader investigates the mystery of the thaali thief. Jamie has complete confidence in Nisha. She is the best detective in school, … [Read more...]