Amazon Crossing Kids has a list that gets stronger with every book release! This time around, we have a story originally released in India in 2022:
Jhupli’s Honey Bee Box, by Achintyarup Ray/Illustrated by Shivan Choudhary,
(Oct. 2023, Amazon Crossing Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781662514678
Ages 6-9
Jhupli is a child living in India, where she waits and worries about her father when he goes into the jungle to gather honey. There are dangers in the forest, and not everyone who walks in comes out. Why does Baba have to go to the jungle, she asks? He needs to gather honey, he tells her: “We get money by selling all that, and with that money, we buy rice, we buy dal. That’s how we have something to cook”. Jhupli, desperate to keep her father safe, starts looking into a way to keep her father safe, and has an idea: can’t the forest department give people honey bee boxes? She brings her idea to a teacher, who brings it to the honey gathering families and the forest department. Jhupli and the Honey Bee Box is about the love of a child for their father, about resourcefulness, and about the sometimes harsh realities of life in the jungle. Digital illustrations present gorgeous, honey- and grass-colored landscapes. Poignant moments run throughout the book, as when Jhupli stands at the riverbank, waiting for her father’s return, her shadow stretching long behind her. Tender moments show the love between parent and child: Jhupli’s father’s hand holds a piece of honeycomb to her upturned, eager face. A good purchase for picture book collections and for collections where there is an international focus.
“The tender tone and softly smudged illustrations lend the tale a gentle, dreamlike quality sure to delight young readers. A sweet story about harsh realities, laced with hope.” ―Kirkus Reviews
Achintyarup Ray lives in Calcutta, a large city in India, but his mind lies in the village where he spent many early years of his life. He works as a journalist. His passions are reading, writing, and translating the books he loves. He has a special interest in people and the environment. Jhupli’s Honey Bee Box is his first book for children. Follow him on Instagram @achintyarup.
Shivam Choudhary is a visual artist who lives in Chhattisgarh, in Central India. He can mostly be found sitting under a tree, painting pictures; pondering ideas; and chasing sunsets. He tries to observe and absorb the mundaneness of his surroundings and take pleasure in the little joys of life. Follow him on Instagram @bhukkkad.
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