Mathematwist, Number Tales from Around the World by T.V. Padma; Illustrations by Proiti Roy; Tulika; Rs.175; 94 pp
In 21st century Indias arid early education landscape where textbook printing contracts are farmed out to unqualified friends and relations of ministers and bureaucrats, and where the concept of enjoyable learning especially in the countrys 1.20 million primary schools barely exists, finding childrens books with a balanced mix of learning and fun is akin to looking for water in a desert.
But fortunately a new genre of authors who can write supplementary texts and story books likely to engage young minds, are beginning to make an impact on the early education scene. Perhaps the most notable within this small tribe is US-based T.V. Padma who also writes for adults and young adults as Padma Venkatraman. A post-doctorate of Americas renowned Johns Hopkins University, Padma teaches at the University of Rhode Island, USA. Recently some of her popular childrens stories written for American publications have been printed and published by the Chennai-based Tulika Publishers.

Mathematwist is a delightful collection of tales spun around numbers and logic. Traditionally, stories involving mathematical puzzles and riddles have intrigued and delighted children, and are part of the folklore of most cultures. Padma has culled the best of these from around the world for this compilation. The book is interspersed with facts and tidbits about mathematical principles which are seamlessly woven into engaging, human interest narratives. The authors love of mathematics — a subject in which she has a degree — is infectious and the book is certain to stimulate interest in maths in primary school children.

Included in this eclectic collection is the legend of Archimedes discovery of the principle named after him, the riddle of the man with the boat and the guessing game of how Birbal managed to shorten a line without touching it. Other common folktales like the one about the man who couldnt count his donkeys right are also well retold.
Chennai-based graphic artist Proiti Roys charming colour illustrations add great value to the book.

Around the World with Amazing Animals by T.V. Padma; Tata Infomedia Ltd; Rs.20 (each); 14-18 pp each

These eight short stories featuring Robert the polar bear; Meera the monkey; Mona the boa; Siva the squirrel; Leenaz the loris; and Kasseim the caribou, introduce children aged eight upwards to several fascinating biomes (large naturally occurring communities of flora and fauna) and animals living within them. All-too-human inhabitants of differing biomes introduce children to scrub jungle, swamp, tundra, rainforest and other habitats.
Children get to learn about diverse ecologies through the animals who are placed in challenge and response situations. Thus Leenaz the loris sets out to explore the world, and gets trapped. The loris is an endangered species, and a sympathetic little girl rescues Leenaz and takes her back to the jungle. In another story, Meera the monkey, who lives in the canopy of the rainforest ventures forth to see the forest floor and makes friends with a tapir, a tree frog and a sloth.

Engaging and informative, these slim and somewhat overpriced booklets are infotainment at its best. A few puzzles at the end of each book help children retain what they have read.

The Forbidden Temple by T.V. Padma; Illustrations by Bhavana Vyas; Tulika; Rs.115; 95 pp

This is a well narrated history primer. Stories set in bygone eras — combinations of fantasy and fact — take readers back into ages and civilisations we rarely think about. The narratives although fictional, are based on a bedrock of historical facts about life in the past, and provide insights into ancient cultures and the rise and fall of civilisations.
For example, one story speculates whether hunting tribes kept domestic animals and another about the type of jewellery women of the Indus Valley civilisation sported. The very first narrative follows a Stone Age youth on his first hunt when he has to prove himself. During the hunt he befriends a wounded dog which he domesticates.

Even as the books 11 narratives unfold, margin notes provide information about the age in which the stories are set. Word and pictorial puzzles at the end of the book enhance the experience of moving back in time. Bhavana Vyas illustrations effectively reflect the historicism that pervades the book.

The stories serve the salutary purpose of highlighting that history is not merely a record of dates and events but about our forbears and antiquity, the study of which is important for interpreting the present. A unique work certain to enrich young minds.

Cynthia John