The Ramayana for Children — Bulbul Sharma

The Ramayana is one of the best-known epics in the world, the tale of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, who exiles himself to the forest for fourteen years to honour his father's word. In the forest, Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana meet new friends and strange foes, and each day brings new adventures. But their happy life is spoilt when Ravana of Lanka, the king of demons, abducts Sita. To rescue her Rama enlists the help of the monkey army. In that final battle, many heroes die and new ones are born. In this vividly told, vibrant version for children, the ancient epic takes on a new life. The traditional ingredients are all there -- adventure and excitement, love and war, and an infinite number of stories within stories; as are the traditional characters -- monkeys who cross oceans and carry mountains, shape-changing demons and monsters. But it is rendered contemporary by the freshness and vitality of Bulbul Sharma's retelling, and by the zany and exuberant illustrations by K.P. Sudesh, one of the most compelling young artists of today.