Pickle Yolk Books is a multi-award-winning Indian publisher of picture books in English. The titles, aimed mostly at readers between 4 and 8 years of age, encouraging curiosity, independent thinking and a questioning spirit among them.
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The Middle is a story of a journey within a journey. A voracious reader, Azma, whose mind is full of questions as she reads, finds that the more books she consumes, the more the whys and hows in them consume her. One night, a torn scrap of paper floats into her room, carrying an incomplete line within its crinkles. She desperately searches for any missing words to complete the lonely phrase but failing at each attempt, she finally turns to writing her own beginning and end. The pages of The Middle are filled with surreal creatures - formidable, terrifying, looming – and these represent the fears and doubts of a mind struggling to make sense of the worlds captured within those books that only partially satisfy her as a reader. Azma embarks on an incomplete journey, ready to create its origin and end, finally realising the answers to all her impossible questions can only come to her when she writes her own version of the story. It is only then that the haunting creatures begin to soften and harmlessly melt away into themselves. Richa Jha’s lyrical prose and Eva Sanchez Gomez’s breathtaking visual poetry come together to narrate a tale that is both stunning and thought-provoking. For all the restless creative souls out there, The Middle presents an all-familiar trajectory of creating something new.
Little Shilu loves to dance around naked. She wants to be like the animals; like Pirate, her cat. When her grandmother Nannu says she can’t because she is now a big girl, Shilu gets down to understanding why she can’t. Peppered with Nannu’s loving chiding, intimate grandma-granddaughter bonding over conversations, and a heart-to-heart between the mother and this little inquisitive daughter, this book is a reflection of the wild and free nature of childhood. Rhuchi Mhasane’s soft evocative illustrations rendered in pencil with watercolour, and put together digitally, create a dreamlike charm. Richa Jha’s gentle, affectionate and lyrical text takes the reader into the mind of the little girl who can’t wait to get the answers to her ‘Why can’t I?’
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Mom and Dad completely lose the plot the day the Wifi stops working in the house. In a role reversal of sorts, it's up to little Shivi to get her bored and tantrum-throwing parents to see that there is a perfectly wonderful life to be enjoyed beyond their screen-craze. Mithila Ananth’s zany, whimsical digital illustrations with a minimal neat colour palette and a touch of quiet humour throw into sharp focus Richa Jha’s funny story done as a second-person narrative. Together, they draw the reader right into the centre of this book’s relatable universe.
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Sid is a lonely boy who detests idle, lonely trees. He has good reasons though. At least he likes to think so. He does not notice the friendship between the dangling leaves, dancing to the song of the wind. He ignores countless birds returning to the safety of their comfy homes, nestled in the soft spots of rough branches, after a long day of collecting worms. So when he is called a brainless tree for missing a save in soccer at school, it is easy for him to decide he never wants to be a tree, until one morning he wakes up to have transformed into one. Srividhya Venkat spins a delectable fantasy around thinking twice about what you wish for, or not and depicts the transformation of Sid’s lonely life after he embraces the excitable voices of kids twisted in his vines and the ecosystem hovering above him. Nayantara Surendranath’s eccentric combination of art collage and digital creation expresses the refreshing quirks that breathe life into the tale.
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Aadya looks just like her mother (Aai)—same little nose, same delicate ears, same big eyes, and identical thick, long hair. But one day, Aai goes away to a big hospital with a promise to return before Aadya learns her next Math lesson. The long-awaited return shocks Aadya because now her mother looks completely unlike her. She wonders if Aai will ever greet her with her usual, cheery, ‘Hello! Mini-me.’ Or will Aadya have to take matters into her own hands just to hear that again?With lyrical prose and a tender touch, Aai and I is an empowering story of the bond between a mother and a daughter, and of the little one finding her own identity as she finds herself no longer 'looking' the same as her mother. Mamta Nainy captures with elan Aadya’s innocence, impatience, and dilemma, and Sanket Pethkar’s vibrant, gorgeous artwork brings to life a typical Indian household in the state of Maharashtra.
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When Gopu’s father (Baba) falls sick, the visually impaired Gopu knows he would have to step out alone. He negotiates the crowds, the markets, and the traffic of the city of Calcutta, all by himself, to reach his grandma’s house to get her to cook Baba’s favourite fish curry. Does he succeed in bringing it home to him? In this book, Richa Jha writes as much about the courage of Gopu as she does about the sounds and smells of a bustling metropolis. Sumanta Dey brings alive the city of Calcutta between the covers of this book and makes the readers feel they are walking alongside Gopu.
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Duster the dog is more a cat. He loves the naps, the flaps, and the fish. And he doesn’t like to announce arrivals, to play fetch, and to dig for bones. Especially, certainly, not the bones. His human craves dog love. Will the two ever be right for each other? Richa Jha brings forth a tiny tale of love and companionship and strikes a chord in the hearts of all the pet-lovers in the world. Neeti Banerji breathes life into the world of Duster and her illustrations reflect the love and understanding Duster needs in his journey to forge a bond with his human.
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“This is a TRUE story. It’s about my world” There’s smoke in the kitchen. Dad acts normal but Mom is worried her head might explode. Even so, the biggest problem is global. You-Know-Who has been at it again and the world must be put right. Today! Big brothers are mean. Big brothers spell trouble. And Big Brothers are not to be trusted, especially if they turn your world upside down. Or is it downside up? In this book where the parallel crazy worlds with their upside-downness and downside-upness weave a fantastic, troubled, creased co-existence, nothing is what it seems like and everything is up for wonder. Ken Spillman adroitly plays around with words and situations both believable and unbelievable, while Silvana Giraldo spins a splendidly broken-but-beautiful world to bring alive an Orwellian dystopia into this picture book.
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When Miss Vee Noonie falls in love with garlic, there is pandemonium in the house. She is a vampire, after all. Her parents do their best to urge her to stay away from it. Garlic, they tell her, is fatal for vampires. Freethinker Vee’s research tells her that’s not true and she leaves no stone unturned in convincing her folks. Does she succeed? Richa Jha celebrates a young thinking mind’s spirit of inquisitiveness, questioning the given, persuasiveness and non-conformist free will in this pacey picture book that is packed with sharp dialogues, intense passion, and chic humour. The breathtaking sweep of Kunal Kundu’s detailed etching and dramatic artwork lingers on till long after the book has been put aside.
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Daddy wasn’t Daddy until Ria popped out of his pocket. Or so he says. Giggi and Daddy is a light-hearted tale which through an innocent clash of narratives between a father and his daughter explores the evolving definition of what it means to be the ‘Best Dad in the World’. Richa Jha takes the reader on a jolly fun ride of tall tales and a fancy imagination, and an adorable Daddy-daughter duo. Mithila Ananth’s blend of simple uncomplicated lines and textured backdrops that ooze perfect comic timing make this book a hilarious visual treat.
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A lone bird hungry for magic pecks at alphabet shapes. It looks through glass windows of book stores and glances at the t-shirts of pedestrians with the hope of solving the mystery hidden behind those letters. Soon, the words become familiar and the bird determinedly starts collecting scraps of paper to build a nest, wanting to hatch its ideas with warmth and nurture them through potential and free imagination. The unusual combination of Ken Spillman’s simple yet eloquent prose and Malavika PC’s inspired images combine in perfect harmony to express the powerful story of The Magic Bird. The bird reminds the reader of the extraordinary components which create something as ordinary as language, and the value of spreading our wings to take stories to others.
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Mommies come in all shapes and sizes but that is not all, they come packed with all sorts of personalities too. The narrative of Mommies challenges the norm of reducing an independent, unique being to gender and just the title of a ‘Mom’, and explores beyond the conventional views of what motherhood should be. Richa Jha delivers a strong statement through the purity of a child’s voice and forges a bond between all the vastly different mothers from across the globe, united by their love for their child. Priya Sebastian’s artwork reflects the depth of a simple narrative and manages to capture the diverse beauty of each and every figure of motherhood.
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Ani’s life has turned dark ever since his mother left. The little specks of light, Grandma, Dobby and not even ice cream can get through the haunting walls created by Ani’s growing fear. Struggling to let others love him, he anxiously waits for his mother to return, delving deeper into the darkness and refusing to see the splashes of colour around him. Tanu Shree Singh’s poignant tale of a child waiting for his mother, a cancer patient, is told with exceptional depth and economy of words. The masterful hand-drawn digital, textured illustrations of Sandhya Prabhat depict a jarring juxtaposition of Ani’s dark world and his brightly coloured surroundings, mellowed by the gentle narrative which beautifully captures the essence of the tale.
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The lonely writer Lekhan huffs and puffs every time the noisy street he lives in brings a new disturbance to interrupt his tales. Desperate to find a solution, Lekhan devises a plan which slowly leads him away from all the giggles and pitter-patter and chitter-chatter. The only problem remains is that his stories are silent, they do not cry anymore. Nor do they smile anymore. Richa Jha’s narrative sprinkles magic in the tedious effort to find and express into words, the soul of a story. Ruchi Shah’s vivid and curious illustrations bring to life an artist’s journey towards inspiration and drawing the best of their art from the world around them.
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When Noorie’s sister Zoya dies, everything in Noorie’s world becomes silent. She knows her sister has gone forever. But what’s with Mummy’s silly lies that Zoya will always be around, by their side? And what is she to do about Zoya’s best friend Dhara, who just won’t leave Noorie alone? Boo! When My Sister Died is a story about finding strength in love and loss. Gautam Benegal blends a playful watercolour and wash-style with a somber digital crosshatch to bring together warmth in the memories of the sisters’ togetherness and the intensity of Noorie’s grief. Richa Jha’s spare and simple text keeps the story poignant, believable, and full of hope.
This book is a collection of recipes for fish cooking.
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The secret life of romantic comedy offers a new approach to one of the most popular and resilient genres in the history of Hollywood. Steering away from the rigidity and ideological determinism of traditional accounts of the genre, this book advocates a more flexible theory, which allows the student to explore the presence of the genre in unexpected places, extending the concept to encompass films that are not usually considered romantic comedies. Combining theory with detailed analyses of a selection of films, including To Be or Not to Be (1942), Rear Window (1954), Kiss Me Stupid (1964), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Before Sunset (2004), the book aims to provide a practical framework for the exploration of a key area of contemporary experience - intimate matters - through one of its most powerful filmic representations: the genre of romantic comedy. Original and entertaining, The secret life of romantic comedy is perfect for students and academics of film and film genre.
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China Story Picture Books is the first set of children's picture books launched by the Bingxin Award Committee. This set of books covers the works of seven Bingxin Award-winning writers of different ages including children's literature masters and promising young writers. The illustrations are full of traditional Chinese cultural elements such as dragon lantern dance, paper cutting, oil paper umbrella, and bamboo. Powerful painters at home and abroad are invited to do illustrations, which brings interesting fusion and collision of Chinese and foreign cultures to the books. In addition to the original illustrations, the stories are more touching. Every child can harvest the courage and wisdom for growing up from these stories. The series consists of 7 picture books: The Dragon Lantern, The Path of Golden Flowers, The Child in Three-Story Attic, The School Day Gifts, The Secret of Crossing, The Slope of Sisters. The Secret of Crossing tells the story of the growth of children in villages and small towns. The mud road to the canteen is narrow, several places collapse from the foot of the wall, and one of them breaks into a big gap. Why not fill in the big gap? It's really a lion in the way, and the girl has to cross it carefully, with all her strength.
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In the book The Hole, the girl tells a story about the time when she lost her beloved grandfather. Together with her dad, the girl goes through their loss by digging a hole. A very deep hole that reaches even Africa. The place where bad feelings become lighter. This book is about loss and strength. It is a story about continuity of life and opportunity to say farewell to those we love. We can find different ways to do it. The Hole offers one of them.
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Mogi Franklin is a typical eighth-grader–except for the mysterious things that keep happening in his life. And the adventures they lead to as he and his sister, Jennifer, follow Mogi's unique problem-solving skills–along with dangerous clues from history and the world around them–to unearth a treasure of unexpected secrets.In The Lady in White, Mogi is working as a cowboy over the summer vacation on one of the largest ranches in New Mexico when hundreds of cattle start mysteriously dying there. Trying to understand the cause, he finds himself embroiled in the life of a boy who was kidnapped by Comanche Indians in 1871. In this seventh book of the exciting Mogi Franklin Mysteries, Mogi comes face-to-face with the ghost of the boy's mother, and must face the reality of the past to save the ranch from the enemies of the present.
