A JUNGLE SAFARI

Take a ride with Bhama through the Mudumalai forest. You will not be disappointed.

Are you a lover of the wild and the myriad mysteries of the jungle? Do you thrill to its smells and sounds and long to trek through the meandering paths and lush greens?

Come, join us on an elephant safari, and let Bhama take us through the deep, silent forests of Mudumalai in the Nilgiris, for an unforgettable experience!

The Hindu
(Young world, June 23, 2006)

IN THE WIDE WORLD

The forest is replete with animals big and small. The safest place from where you can get the best of the jungle is perhaps atop the elephant's back as A Jungle Safari goes on to show.

Bhama, the tame mother elephant with large tattered ears, knows every nook and corner of the Mudumalai forest. The book takes the reader on a safari, along with a small family who ride on Bhama, through the thickly wooded hills, plateaus and ravines of Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary — home to elephants, gaurs, langurs, tigers, sloth bears, giant flying squirrels, pythons, sambars, wild boars, spotted deer, hyenas and much more.

"In a forest, it isn't the seeing that is important... it's the expecting to see that's exciting" — is the message, as Bhama ventures through the woods. Suddenly she stops on sighting something. What is it?

Black and white sketches on every page are a feast to the eyes. The drawings by Sonal Panse bring to life the mood of the wild.

The narrative is snappy sustaining the thrill of all that the jungle has to offer.

The author

Geeta Dharmarajan loves writing stories and fantasies for children. She conceived and edited a children's maazine called Tamasha. Geeta was earlier one of the editors of Target, a magazine for children, and The Pennysylvania Gazette, the magazine of the Ivy League University of Pennysylvania. She has 18 books and over 400 published pieces to her credit. She started Katha in 1988 and has been its prncipal team leader since then.

The illustrator

Sonal Panse is a freelance artist and writer based in Nashik in Maharashtra. She does realistic, imaginative and abstract artwork in a variety of media, and has written several articles on a range of subjects. Her work has been featured in print web publications in India, Australia and the United States. Sonal has also exhibited her paintings in London and Mumbai, and is currently working on a novel.

Here's a link to the illustrator Sonal Panse's blog, Orangemellon.

Publishers: Katha
32 pages, size 8.25 X 6
Age Group: 5 - 8 years
ISBN 81-89020-39-0
Price: Rs 60 (in India and the subcontinent)