This is the inaugural volume of a new series of picture books starring Babu the Water Buffalo, a young hero who gets involved in all sorts of adventures while learning about life and growing up in India. Meet Malla the Kawwa bird, Babu’s parents Mataji and Pitahji, Singh the King Cobra, and Mohan the Mongoose, and learn all about the perils that await a young water buffalo who wanders off on his own.
The first release from Babu Books, a new publisher of children’s books, Babu the Buffalo is an extremely strong example of what’s to come. The story, while short (less than 20 pages), manages to pack a remarkable amount of information and characterization and deliver a complete adventure. The art is absolutely gorgeous, the characters expressive and filled with a childlike whimsy, the colors rich and glowing and all but jumping off the page. As an added, and most welcome, bonus, there’s a four page vocabulary list in the back of the book, covering a wide variety of the words found in the actual story. Educational as well as lovely, Babu is clearly the start of something good. This is one book I’ll definitely be keeping until I have children to share it with. You can learn more at www.babubooks.com.