Books

A poor fisherman is wrongly accused of smuggling turtles. Now it is up to the M4 – three children and a dog – to come to his rescue

An enchanting short book about a little boy and the relationship he built with nature living in Dehradun under the watchful eye of his granny. Were the seeds of Ruskin Bond’s plentiful oeuvre of inspiring nature writing planted in those early days?

India is home to many introduced plant species that have arrived as guests from different parts of the world. Here are four examples of familiar invasive alien plants, their impacts and how to manage them.

A fun, pacy read with author Shweta Taneja’s imaginative take on a world where the trash is in charge. There are piles of stinking garbage, no one bathes, and Trash Rajah has declared cleaning illegal. Can the children save their only playground from the garbage monsters?

Aasheesh Pittie, one of India’s premier birders, reveals why the common iora creates upheavals of emotion within him

This collection of essays by conservationists, academicians, and policymakers on India’s 50-year journey in wildlife conservation is a deep dive into what we have achieved, what more we can do, and what the future holds

This book about a parallel universe that hides in plain sight, right at the shore, has a secret message: Everybody can be a scientist or an explorer

Coping with loss, a teenager finds the language to express her grief and the ability to process it in the natural world

A cherry tree that Rakesh planted as a child, grows tall and broad, welcoming a whole new world of birds and bees in his backyard, writes Ruskin Bond, in a heartwarming story from the chilly Himalayas

A roundup of books that span climate science and conservation, ecological concerns and vanishing biodiversity, as well as environment fiction

Though India-born British hunter Kenneth Anderson’s books are about his hunting exploits, they also discuss the importance of conservation and upholding the rights of the forest dwelling communities

Inspired by true stories around India, ‘People and Wildlife’ talks about the deep bonds that some communities share with the natural world around them

This fascinating Odia tale is from Animalia Indica, edited by Sumana Roy, which is a collection of the finest fiction short stories centred around animals

In Cities and Canopies, authors Harini Nagendra and Seema Mundoli delve into the science of urban trees, made even more fascinating with snippets of history, folk tale, recipe, and art

In A Tigress Called Machhli, Supriya Sehgal shares fascinating stories of various animals that inhabit our forests, cities, and backyards — including a curious tale of a village in Karnataka that is taken over by cackling storks

Following leatherback sea turtles, tree shrews, and crab-eating macaques — in Running Away From Elephants readers get a rare glimpse into celebrated wildlife biologist Rauf Ali’s wild adventures