Imagination run riot

THAT Tara was at the vanguard of children's publishing in the South is in itself a commendable feat. In spite of a late start and a huge gap between the first two books their catalogue is now being constantly and regularly updated.

Their latest books in the under Rs. 100 category, and for age groups between four and eight, are soft-bound and are both authored by one of their most prolific authors - Anushka Ravishankar. In order to keep the cost down they have opted to print both in two colour.

Tara's policy, going by their past record, is to keep innovating with layout and typography, sometimes with complete disregard to the age group they are catering to. The problem lies in the fact that their creative instinct gets the better of them, and their beautifully illustrated books - they have access to some of the best talent in India and abroad - are sometimes overdesigned with the typography gone wild. It is okay to have overtly creative typography for the 12-plus age group, where the young reader has come to terms with several type forms and can comprehend that different fonts stand for different tones of voice, as good typographic play is meant to. A better alternative would have been to use a family of font that has extensive variants within the type family and then experiment with the type play. That Rathna Ramanathan is a competent typographyer has been proven elsewhere in other books by Tara Publishers, but why she lost control here in these otherwise commendable books is anybody's guess.

But other than this the books are a real treat to own. Catch that Crocodile is delightfully illustrated by one of India's foremost and best loved illustrators - Pulak Biswas. His monochromatic illustrations bring to life Anushka's lively wordplay, just as much as it did in their earlier collaboration, Tiger on a Tree. The fact that Pulak Biswas has used dry brush and Indian inks for most of his artwork brings an earthy texture to the illustrations. In fact, the big goggle eyes that he has drawn for the crocodile actually makes the reader empathise with the crocodile's predicament. The message the book carries within its wordplay is that we should not get too excited if an animal is lost, but in stead help the poor creature on its way. Anushka's text appropriately brings out the drama we tend to make of the smallest of incidents. Well, Anuskha has made a book of it!

This book has been printed in Indian red and cyan blue inks. The text is mostly in blue and the illustrations in Indian red. Could not they have chosen a darker coloured blue ink? It must be said, however, that the colour gives the book a light-hearted feel.The Fivetongued Firefanged Folkadotted Dragon Snake is yet another delightful book from Anushka's pen, illustrated by another favourite illustrator from Tara's stable. Indrapramit Roy who illustrated the classic, The Hungry Lion, has drawn the pictures in his own inimitable way; only this time he has not modified an existing style, but altered his own approach. Tara, perhaps, has found an Indian illustrator who has the same approach and sense of humour in his line, wash and pastel illustrations that Quentin Blake who illustrates most of Roald Dahl's books has.

This book highlights how a lonely boy makes up a new fangled name for a tiny snake who wants to befriend him. This is a takeoff on the imaginary friends that we have made up and played with as children. For lil' Arun, the tiny snake becomes an object of fantasy, a fact that is revealed only at the very end of the book, making it quite a pageturner for a young reader. Once again, the overtly dramatic use of fancy and sometimes illegible type is the only hindrance to the young reader, but then as this book caters to the slightly older reader, they might just try and negotiate it.

Otherwise a commendable effort from Tara. But one wonders - at Rs. 90 aren't they a bit overpriced for what they are: low-cost children's books. Of course, the size and the thicker gauge of paper can take some rough handling. If they are to be used as "read-aloud" books and are aimed at parents to read to their children as bedtime stories, then they are bang on target. The young parent would not only appreciate the wayward typography, but the child would delight in them too.

RANJAN DE

The Fivetongued Firefanged Folkadotted Dragon Snake, Anushka Ravishankar, Illustrated by Indrapramit Roy and Rathna Ramanathan, Tara Publishing, Rs. 85.

Catch that Crocodile, Anushka Ravishankar, Illustrated by Pulak Biswas, Tara Publishing, Rs. 90.

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