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My Incredible India

Illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti
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Hardcover
$19.99 US
10.19"W x 11.63"H x 0.52"D   | 27 oz | 18 per carton
On sale Oct 10, 2023 | 80 Pages | 9781536225013
Age 7-10 years | Grades 2-5
Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell U
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Tour the diverse regions of an incredible country in a vivid, joyful, and visually stunning introduction to the people, places, flora, and fauna of India.

Watch elephants bathing from a houseboat in Kerala, marvel at ancient cave paintings in Bhimbetka, wander Delhi’s bustling streets, and ride a train through the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. In spread after colorful spread, India’s breathtaking landscapes, rich history, and cultural splendor leap to life on the page, framed by the story of a little girl named Thara and her grandmother. In a carved wooden trunk, Nanijee keeps mementos collected from all over India, each with a story to tell. Readers can follow along page by page with Thara or dip in at any point to discover something new about India’s many and varied regions—from vibrant religious festivals, food, and crafts to sports and wildlife to Bollywood and a hidden sculpture garden filled with life-size figures. A warm, welcoming tone and exquisitely patterned endpapers help make this an intimate keepsake to pore over and treasure. A companion book to the award-winning Africa, Amazing Africa by Atinuke and Mouni Feddag, this is narrative nonfiction at its finest.
  • WINNER | 2024
    Children's Book Council - Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
This is a lavishly illustrated celebration of India. . . . The back matter includes an extensive time line, brief essays on Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian flag, a helpful index for both text and picture captions, and resources for additional information. Both browsers and researchers will be hooked by this irresistible, joyous survey.
—Booklist (starred review)

Those unfamiliar with India will undoubtedly find much to discover, such as the ancient cave paintings in the Bhimbetka caves, while those more familiar will expand their knowledge further. The oral method of having Nanijee and Thara look at and explore subjects, including the foods, religious festivals, and wildlife of India, is an appealing and approachable format. This gem of a book is perfect for anyone wishing to learn more about India; it should find a place on the shelves of most libraries and classrooms.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Jasbinder Bilan's debut novel Asha and the Spirit Bird won the prestigious Costa Children’s Book Award and The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition. She has an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. She lives in England with her husband, two sons, and an adorable dog named Enzo.

Nina Chakrabarti studied illustration at Central Saint Martin’s College and the Royal College of Art, London. She uses line drawing to explore her love of the decorative arts, inspired by her past in Kolkata, India, where she grew up, and the exuberance of London, where she lived for many years. She is the author of the best-selling My Wonderful World of Fashion, which has been translated into ten languages.
Welcome to India
INDIA IS JAM-PACKED WITH DIFFERENT LANDSCAPES. There are twenty-eight states and eight union territories, and each region is unique. There are scorching deserts, sacred rivers, and precious forests inhabited by endangered animals such as lions and tigers. To the north lie the snow-shrouded Himalayas, which run for around 1,500 miles (2,500 kilometers), and in the clear blue seas beyond India’s shores, there are amazing islands with pristine beaches. It’s a huge country, with a huge, welcoming heart.
   The history of India stretches five thousand years into the past. It had some of the very first sophisticated cities in the world. If you go to India today, there are still ancient temples filled with sculptures and paintings, as well as wonderful historic palaces sitting like jewels in beautiful lakes.
   There are also vibrant cities with modern skylines, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Like many cities around the world, India’s cities are full of opposites: there are people who drive expensive cars and can spend all the money they like, and there are people who are forced to live on the streets. The buildings are home to both world-famous high-tech businesses and indoor bazaars and markets laden with handmade objects created using techniques that have been used for thousands of years.
   One of the very special things about India is that it is a country of strong belief and faith. Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism were all born in India, and religions like Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, the Baha’i Faith, and Judaism were brought to the country from elsewhere.
   India now has the biggest population of Hindus in the entire world: over 900 million. Hinduism is one of the world’s most ancient religions. Hindus believe in the circle of life and reincarnation, which means that after a person’s death, their spirit does not disappear but passes into the body of another being and continues to live. This means that caring for wildlife is a big part of life for Hindus, because they never know who may have reincarnated in the creatures around them.
   The most important texts in Hinduism are written in Sanskrit, India’s ancient classical language. Sanskrit can be traced back to 1700–1200 BCE. Scholars think that all the European languages come from it; look how similar these words are: matr (Sanskrit), mater (Latin), and mother (English).
   To make sure that everyone understands each other, Hindi and English are the languages used all over India in newspapers and on the main TV stations. Here’s how you say hello in a few of India’s different languages:  
Urdu: As-Salaam alaikum
Hindi: Namaste
Punjabi: Sat sri akal
Tamil: Vanakkam
English: Hi there!

About This Book
ALL THROUGH HER LIFE, Thara’s nanijee has collected special objects from around India and kept them in a beautiful wooden trunk. Each object reminds her of a wonderful place she has visited.
   This book will take you on a journey around India—you can read it all at once or dip into it when you feel like visiting a particular place. Every time you choose a page, it will be as though you are choosing an object from Nanijee’s trunk yourself.
   India is a land full of amazing things to discover. Things that will shake you up, take your breath away, and make you as curious as a monkey!
 
A Journey Around India
Right at the top of my nanijee’s house, I have my own cozy room for sleepovers. My bed is layered high with a soft patterned rajai quilt, and Nanijee has hung an orange sari over it to make a canopy. In a corner of the room sits an old trunk made from sheesham wood, with beautiful carvings of elephants and tigers all over it.
   Nanijee lived in India most of her life and has traveled all around the country. Wherever she went, she collected special objects as a reminder of each place—and all those objects are inside this wonderful trunk.
   Friday nights are exciting nights: that’s when I sleep over at Nanijee’s.  She makes me spiced milky chai sprinkled with cinnamon. I take a small sip and snuggle into the folds of her chunni. She smiles and creaks open the trunk. It smells sweet, like the heart of a tree.
She takes out one object and tells me all about it—which state it’s from, why she loves it so much, and what makes it unique.
   Each Friday night, I hurry up the stairs to my room, butterflies zipping through my stomach. I run my fingers along the carvings of the trunk and imagine all the things lying inside. All the things I’m going to see.
   I wonder what Nanijee will show me tonight . . .

Photos

additional book photo
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About

Tour the diverse regions of an incredible country in a vivid, joyful, and visually stunning introduction to the people, places, flora, and fauna of India.

Watch elephants bathing from a houseboat in Kerala, marvel at ancient cave paintings in Bhimbetka, wander Delhi’s bustling streets, and ride a train through the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. In spread after colorful spread, India’s breathtaking landscapes, rich history, and cultural splendor leap to life on the page, framed by the story of a little girl named Thara and her grandmother. In a carved wooden trunk, Nanijee keeps mementos collected from all over India, each with a story to tell. Readers can follow along page by page with Thara or dip in at any point to discover something new about India’s many and varied regions—from vibrant religious festivals, food, and crafts to sports and wildlife to Bollywood and a hidden sculpture garden filled with life-size figures. A warm, welcoming tone and exquisitely patterned endpapers help make this an intimate keepsake to pore over and treasure. A companion book to the award-winning Africa, Amazing Africa by Atinuke and Mouni Feddag, this is narrative nonfiction at its finest.

Awards

  • WINNER | 2024
    Children's Book Council - Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year

Praise

This is a lavishly illustrated celebration of India. . . . The back matter includes an extensive time line, brief essays on Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian flag, a helpful index for both text and picture captions, and resources for additional information. Both browsers and researchers will be hooked by this irresistible, joyous survey.
—Booklist (starred review)

Those unfamiliar with India will undoubtedly find much to discover, such as the ancient cave paintings in the Bhimbetka caves, while those more familiar will expand their knowledge further. The oral method of having Nanijee and Thara look at and explore subjects, including the foods, religious festivals, and wildlife of India, is an appealing and approachable format. This gem of a book is perfect for anyone wishing to learn more about India; it should find a place on the shelves of most libraries and classrooms.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Author

Jasbinder Bilan's debut novel Asha and the Spirit Bird won the prestigious Costa Children’s Book Award and The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition. She has an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. She lives in England with her husband, two sons, and an adorable dog named Enzo.

Nina Chakrabarti studied illustration at Central Saint Martin’s College and the Royal College of Art, London. She uses line drawing to explore her love of the decorative arts, inspired by her past in Kolkata, India, where she grew up, and the exuberance of London, where she lived for many years. She is the author of the best-selling My Wonderful World of Fashion, which has been translated into ten languages.

Excerpt

Welcome to India
INDIA IS JAM-PACKED WITH DIFFERENT LANDSCAPES. There are twenty-eight states and eight union territories, and each region is unique. There are scorching deserts, sacred rivers, and precious forests inhabited by endangered animals such as lions and tigers. To the north lie the snow-shrouded Himalayas, which run for around 1,500 miles (2,500 kilometers), and in the clear blue seas beyond India’s shores, there are amazing islands with pristine beaches. It’s a huge country, with a huge, welcoming heart.
   The history of India stretches five thousand years into the past. It had some of the very first sophisticated cities in the world. If you go to India today, there are still ancient temples filled with sculptures and paintings, as well as wonderful historic palaces sitting like jewels in beautiful lakes.
   There are also vibrant cities with modern skylines, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Like many cities around the world, India’s cities are full of opposites: there are people who drive expensive cars and can spend all the money they like, and there are people who are forced to live on the streets. The buildings are home to both world-famous high-tech businesses and indoor bazaars and markets laden with handmade objects created using techniques that have been used for thousands of years.
   One of the very special things about India is that it is a country of strong belief and faith. Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism were all born in India, and religions like Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, the Baha’i Faith, and Judaism were brought to the country from elsewhere.
   India now has the biggest population of Hindus in the entire world: over 900 million. Hinduism is one of the world’s most ancient religions. Hindus believe in the circle of life and reincarnation, which means that after a person’s death, their spirit does not disappear but passes into the body of another being and continues to live. This means that caring for wildlife is a big part of life for Hindus, because they never know who may have reincarnated in the creatures around them.
   The most important texts in Hinduism are written in Sanskrit, India’s ancient classical language. Sanskrit can be traced back to 1700–1200 BCE. Scholars think that all the European languages come from it; look how similar these words are: matr (Sanskrit), mater (Latin), and mother (English).
   To make sure that everyone understands each other, Hindi and English are the languages used all over India in newspapers and on the main TV stations. Here’s how you say hello in a few of India’s different languages:  
Urdu: As-Salaam alaikum
Hindi: Namaste
Punjabi: Sat sri akal
Tamil: Vanakkam
English: Hi there!

About This Book
ALL THROUGH HER LIFE, Thara’s nanijee has collected special objects from around India and kept them in a beautiful wooden trunk. Each object reminds her of a wonderful place she has visited.
   This book will take you on a journey around India—you can read it all at once or dip into it when you feel like visiting a particular place. Every time you choose a page, it will be as though you are choosing an object from Nanijee’s trunk yourself.
   India is a land full of amazing things to discover. Things that will shake you up, take your breath away, and make you as curious as a monkey!
 
A Journey Around India
Right at the top of my nanijee’s house, I have my own cozy room for sleepovers. My bed is layered high with a soft patterned rajai quilt, and Nanijee has hung an orange sari over it to make a canopy. In a corner of the room sits an old trunk made from sheesham wood, with beautiful carvings of elephants and tigers all over it.
   Nanijee lived in India most of her life and has traveled all around the country. Wherever she went, she collected special objects as a reminder of each place—and all those objects are inside this wonderful trunk.
   Friday nights are exciting nights: that’s when I sleep over at Nanijee’s.  She makes me spiced milky chai sprinkled with cinnamon. I take a small sip and snuggle into the folds of her chunni. She smiles and creaks open the trunk. It smells sweet, like the heart of a tree.
She takes out one object and tells me all about it—which state it’s from, why she loves it so much, and what makes it unique.
   Each Friday night, I hurry up the stairs to my room, butterflies zipping through my stomach. I run my fingers along the carvings of the trunk and imagine all the things lying inside. All the things I’m going to see.
   I wonder what Nanijee will show me tonight . . .

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