Once Upon A Time In A Grassland: Illustrating India’s Wilderness Through Children’s Books

Children from rural areas, who live close to some of India’s most charismatic and unique wildlife, know little about what is  immediately around them. Their curious minds are often buzzing with questions about what animals look like, where they live or how they find food. Sadly, lack of access to fun or engaging resources keeps this vital information from them. Further, many animals like wolves, snakes and bears are portrayed negatively. through fables and local myths - making it harder for them to appreciate the value of wildlife around them! We want to bring the fascinating world of wild animals - starting with the Indian grey wolf and the grasslands they live in - to these young minds through children’s books that talk about animal behaviour.

We have begun writing stories about India’s lesser-known but important species, focusing on their ecology and behaviour. These stories, while fictional and funny, are true to the animal behavior, aiming to excite children about how interesting they are in the real world! 

This book, titled “Packed Together” talks about a family of Indian grey wolves who wake up one morning to discover their alpha female is missing! The pack scours the grassland in search, meeting interesting species along the way. When they find her, she has a brand new litter of wolf pups! 

The story weaves through the lives of these wolves, and readers learn about their behaviour and habitat through it. The book is easy to understand with gorgeous illustrations that bring the animals and grasslands to life - ideal for non-academic learning!

“Packed Together” will be published in four languages (English, Kannada, Hindi and Marathi) and distributed to schools in rural India through our interactive Wild Shaale program. We want to make these engaging books available to as many school children as possible. 

In the upcoming year, we hope to provide books to every child that engages with our Wild Shaale program - 30,000 kids from 400 schools across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka! In the long term, we hope to increase their knowledge of Indian wildlife as they grow up, learning to appreciate their value and make better decisions for their own wellbeing and the animals.