Tara Books | The Great Race

The Great Race

Nathan Kumar Scott, Jagdish Chitara “I’m the fastest animal in the forest!” boasts Kanchil the mouse deer. “And I challenge any animal to race me!” Who will step forward to accept this challenge, and can Kanchil be beaten? Featuring a well-known Indonesian trickster tale, this book is illustrated using the fine Mata-Ni-Pachedi style of ritual textile painting from Gujarat. Jagdish Chitara reworks the simple yet dramatic palette of his tradition–black, white and red colours – to create a world of splendid beasts. This is the third story in our Kanchil series, which includes the much-loved Mangoes and Bananas and The Sacred Banana Leaf.

$ 16.95

In stock

Weight	420.0 g
Dimensions	210 x 280 mm
ISBN	978-93-80340-15-9
Pages	32
Printing	Offset-printed
Binding	Hardcover
Age Group	6+
Foreign Rights Sold	:
Korea	Daekyo
French	Actes Sud
Simplified Chinese (Mainland China)	China Children’s Press & Publication Group

New York Public Library Books for Reading & Sharing List, 2012

USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor List, 2013

Kirkus Reviews

Tara Books has paired this very accessible story with dramatic images … intense blood red and ebony black.

Brain Pickings

Illustrated in the stunning Mata-ni-Pachedi style ...a first-of-its-kind use of this traditional folk art in children’s storytelling.

Midday

This cross-cultural experiment ... will promote novel methods in education ...highlighting a traditional Indian art form.

Booktrust, UK

Retelling of a popular Indonesian folk tale using only three colours...this beautiful picture book would make a very special present.

Nathan Kumar Scott

Author Nathan Kumar Scott, born and raised in India of American parents, has been bridging cultures all his life. He’s been a theatre director, designer, playwright, puppeteer and storyteller, and has performed across the US as well as in Ecuador, Mexico, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. He is the director of an educational foundation that introduces Indian culture to students from around the world. Click here to discover his other Tara Books.

Jagdish Chitara

Jagdish Chitara is a skilled folk artist from Gujarat, western India, working in the Mata-Ni-Pachedi style of ritual textile painting. Belonging to a traditional and nomadic group of artists from the marginalised Vaghari community, he has been practising this ancestral craft for over 40 years. Jagdish now lives in Ahmedabad, where he strings up his textile art for sale on a pavement. Click here to discover his other Tara Books.

Nia Thandapani

Graphic designer Nia Thandapani is based in Bangalore. A graduate of Central St. Martins College of Art & Design, London, she’s spent the last nine years working across London, Sri Lanka and India. Alongside commissioned projects, Nia researches and documents lesser explored aspects of design and visual culture in India. Nia co-runs Carrom, a design and illustration studio. Click here to discover her other Tara Books.