• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Acclaimed South-Asian-Canadian storyteller Sharada Eswar retells four fun and fascinating folktales from across India. Whether she's telling how the vain peacock came to have eyes on his tail or of a poor family suddenly blessed with abundance, of a powerful ghost that faces an unexpected challenge or the wisdom a monk gifts to a snake, Eswar's tales are engaging and full of life. The book features a full translation in Tamil, and includes bright and playful illustrations. This collection, which includes a tale from Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Bihar, and Bengal, is a wonderful way to celebrate an important element of our multicultural identity.

Sharada Eswar is a writer, storyteller, singer, and arts educator whose work spans disciplines and art forms. A graduate in Literature Studies, she trained to be a writer and a storyteller. Simultaneously she also immersed myself in Carnatic Music (south Indian classical music) in Chennai, India. She was part of the team representing India at the India Abroad show in Paris and New York. She was also one of the three chosen by the Centres Culturels des Lions Clubs de Paris to present Indian culture in Normandy, France. Since then, she has been performing and teaching in Toronto and internationally, drawing on her own South Asian ancestry and heritage.

Sharada Eswar's profile page

Dushy Gnanapragasam received his initiation into theatre at St. Henry’s College in Illavalai, Sri Lanka, and has been an integral part of the vibrant Tamil theatre scene in Toronto for over twenty years. He has directed several of his own translations for Manaveli Performing Arts Group, including Harold Pinter’s New World Order, Mario Fratti’s The Satraps, and Ivan Turgenev’s Broke. He has also directed plays for Asylum Theatre Group, including R. Cheran’s What if the Rain Fails and Not By Our Tears. Off stage, he writes and translates for Thaiveedu, a Tamil monthly with a heavy focus on the arts.

Dushy Gnanapragasam's profile page

Radha Raulgaonkar is a Toronto-based illustrator, whose work reflects how she has experienced the world, displaying a variety of stories ranging from mental health to everyday observational humour. When she isn't laughing at the absurdity of life, she is cooking, learning, and decolonizing the small world around her.

Radha Raulgaonkar's profile page