Another wonderful picturebook by the Indian publisher Tara Books – this time the theme is water and the life hidden in it. You will find specific aquatic creatures, as well as motifs referring to the water itself. The book itself is also a wonderful art object in itself – the illustrations are screen-printed on handmade paper. Each illustration is accompanied by a short text, an inspiration to move to the water world for a moment.
Almost every title from this publishing house is a celebration of a particular branch of Indian folk art. This time, the artist Rambharos Jha introduces us to the world of Mithila art from the Bihar region, which is sometimes called Madhubani painting (Mithila refers to the region of the same name, which is located on the border of India and Nepal.) Interestingly, painting in this area was traditionally done mainly on the walls of houses and it was usually done by women, thus celebrating the most important moments in the life of their community, for example birthdays or Hindu festivals.
Here you can find wonderful postcards with reproductions of some of the illustrations from inside the book.
