Monsters And Mythical Creatures In Indian Children’s Books

We were looking at our shelves and realised that they’re looking quite monstrous. Monsters seem to be really popular in contemporary Indian children’s books. There are all sorts of monsters – scary monsters and funny monsters and not-quite-monsters monsters – so you’re sure to find the perfect monster for a young reader. Our list of monsters is quite inclusive – it features monsters, rakshasas, dragons, giants, vampires and zombies too – though some of them are friendlier than others.

PICTURE BOOKS

Junior Kumbhakarna*

Every night, Kukku wants his father to tell him his favourite story. It is about the giant Kumbhakarna who sleeps non-stop for six months — and Kukku falls asleep just as Kumbhakarna does. In Kukku’s dream, everyone is trying everything to wake up the giant. Nothing works . . . A lively retelling of an episode from the Ramayana with wildly funny pictures.

Lachmi’s War

The evil asura Tobakachi wants to rule the world by not educating girls. But Lachmi knows better than to give in to his wicked plan.

 

 

 

Monster Garden

Enter the monster garden

and meet a Scrumpeelious

a Sharmistickle

a Tankstomper …

… and many other strange creatures.

But what does a Sharmistickle look like?

Does a Tankstomper look like a tank?

Use your own imagination to create the monsters in this unique Draw-it-yourself picture book.

And get a FREE poster of a beautilicous monster gallery!

Pintoo and the Giant

Pintoo walks home from school one evening, all alone. He is not afraid until the sun begins to set rapidly. Suddenly, he feels himself being lifted up. . .up, up. . . by a giant! Pintoo shudders when he looks into his face. Now, what?

 

 

The Colour Thief

What happens when a grouchy giant decides to scoop all colour out of the world – from the trees and flowers, from the birds and animals, the fish and the waters? A quaint, fairytale-like story, set amidst magnificent mountains, leafy forests, swirling seas and skies.

 

 

The Dragon’s Toothache

What could be stranger than a dragon’s toothache? A motley crew comes to the rescue of a dragon in pain, but does it manage to help him?

 

 

 

 

The Night Monster

Every night, when the owl hoots and the shadows of the trees dance on the walls, the Night Monster creeps into Avi’s room and frightens him. One day, his sister suggests he write a letter to the monster, and Avi’s nights are not the same any more.

 

 

The Pleasant Rakshasa*

Karimuga is a pleasant rakshasa. He is a beautiful rakshasa too. But that makes all other rakshasas jealous of him. Karimuga can’t bear to see them unhappy…

 

 

 

Vee Loved Garlic*

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. Free thinker Vee’s research tells her that’s not true and she leaves no stone unturned in convincing her folks. Does she succeed?

 

Who Is Afraid of the Rakshas Sweetie-Man?

Samar and Nivya are terrified of the Rakshas Sweetie-Man. He looks scary, and oh, does he eat little puppies? When their six puppies run into the Rakshas Sweetie-Man’s shop, the twins must rescue them. But then they get the biggest surprise ever!

 

EARLY CHAPTER BOOKS

Bookasura

A strange many-headed creature, Bookasura, makes an appearance when Bala is at his grandparent’s house. Bala keeps Bookasura at bay by supplying him with a steady stream of books. But Bala will soon run out of books.

What then?
Will Bookasura eat Bala up?
Or will Bala be able to save himself?

 

 

 

The Boy & Dragon Stories And Other Tales

A dragon has to be punished by a boy. But neither knows how to go about it, and they become friends instead. Sweeping through spans of fantasy, reality and time, the author of the popular Aditi Adventures gives us a set of stories that once again takes children on a ride through magic realism.

 

 

 

 

 

The Monster Hunters*

Abhay is going monster hunting with his friend, Nitya. So what if no one believes him, he knows there are monsters under every bed, and the two friends are determined to prove it. They will present a monster as part of their class project, and everyone who laughed at them will have to eat their words. But monsters are elusive creatures; and hunting them down turns out to be more difficult than they expected …

 

 

 

The Vampire Boy

Kris is not a normal vampire boy. But the children at school are terrified of him. Will he ever find a friend?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Timmi In Tangles*

Timmi’s life is full of tangles: Her mother expects her to go to school even though she’s a raja; Idliamma eats up all her idlis and everyone thinks Timmi ate them … and why can’t people understand that if you have a giant for a friend you can lift the roof to let the rain in?

 

 

 

CHAPTER BOOKS

Moin and the Monster*

One night, in the dim darkness of his room, Moin heard something shuffling and sniffling under his bed …”
It is a monster.
Moin has to learn to live with the monster, which does nothing but eat bananas, sing silly songs and try out new hairstyles.
However, keeping the monster a secret from his parents and teachers is a tough task and finally Moin decides that the only thing to do is send the monster back where it came from …

 

Ravana Refuses to Die

The little town of Babubari seems to attract all kinds of dubious characters–sinister sadhus, annoyed actors, slimy sethjis, marauding monkeys …

And the Babubari Gang–Muru, Jitu, Chippa and Chipkili–are always in the thick of things.

Whether it’s a demon king who refuses to die, a top-secret interstellar mission, a hair-raising kidnapping or a sleazy landgrabbing, the Gang is embroiled in every adventure that unfolds in Babubari.

Vikram and the Vampire

Poor King Vikram! Tasked by the sorcerer Shaitanish to bring him a corpse, he finds that a vampire named Betal has taken residence in it. He’ll come along only if King Vikram lends a willing ear to a series of riddling tales. There’s the one about the world’s most sensitive ladies: Queens Touchmenot, Itsratherhot and Oohmyhead. There’s the tale of the four foolish brothers Nin, Com, Poo and Oops. Each tale is crazier, funnier, madder than the last, and even if King Vikram doesn’t enjoy the journey – you sure will!

 

MIDDLE GRADE

The Magicians of Madh 

(Hat tip to Duckbill for this suggestion)

Something strange is afoot at the Royal Academy of Science, Magic and the Arts …

A standing statue sits down with a meditative smile …

A demigod is caught smuggling the Nectar of Immortality into the Mortal Realm …

Traders in Madh find their goods have been turned into djinn gold …

An illegal portal into the Inter-Realm has opened and no one knows who has done it …

A strange creature has been sighted in the vaults under the Academy …

Will Meenakshi and Kalban be able to get to the bottom of it all before the creature in the vault gets too powerful to control? Or is this a cover for something much more sinister―something that will destroy the city of Madh?

 

YOUNG ADULT

Zombiestan

It began with undead Taliban in Afghan villages” and faster than anyone could have anticipated, the darkness spread through the world.

In a world laid waste by this new terror, five unlikely companions come together in a devastated New Delhi” a seventeen-year-old boy dealing with the loss of his family, a US Navy SEAL trying to get back home, a middle-aged history professor, a young girl and her three-year-old brother.

When they discover that the child may hold the key to ending the pestilence that threatens to destroy their world, they begin an epic journey to a rumoured safe zone high in the Himalayas. The journey will pit them against terrible adversaries, both human and undead.

Will they survive? Or will they too, like many before them, become undead citizens of Zombiestan?