Nabiya

It is hard not to notice Nabiya in Savita Teacher's English story classes. She listens so intently that she hardly blinks! Slowly, she begins to explore stories and delight in their words, pictures and funny moments.

This sensitively told story about a spirited young girl, who likes football as much as she likes storybooks, is based on the author's own experience. Using a collage of colours, textures and drawings, the illustrations evoke Nabiya's everyday world and her journey into the world of words.

Chatura Rao has been writing stories since 2003. She has written a couple of novels for children and short stories that have appeared in several anthologies. She leads writing workshops where children learn to make stories, so they continue to look for the magical in the ordinary even after they grow up.

Ruchi Mhasane is a freelance illustrator who studied children's illustration in Cambridge, UK, and now lives and works in Mumbai. She spends most of her time drawing, writing, listening to music and travelling. This is her second book for Tulika, after Raindrops.