A new illustrated book sheds light on the diverse wildlife in Mumbai and India

This week we tried to make head or tail of a childrenrsquos book illustrated by Dahisarbased Sefi George The book opens with the story of a tail followed by one more on the second page and then another this book is about tails Bankursquos Terrific Tails Niyogi Books a compact 24page illustrated title introduces readers to 23 species and the stories behind their tails through the eyes of Banku a budding naturalistBanku swims with the Whale Shark Pomfrets and a Hermit Crab ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESYSEFI GEORGE NIYOGI BOOKS 2025In the fantastical story written by childrenrsquos author Rachna Chhabria a restless Banku traverses farmlands deep waters treetops and snowcapped mountains in search of a tail that suits him At least a few of these escapades are inspired by true stories mdash the illustratorrsquos A naturalist at heart Sefi spends most of her weekends perched on benches and rocks in Mumbairsquos green oases ldquoI started nature journalling in 2016 when I was studying Anthropology at St Xavierrsquos College Autonomous Dhobi Talao The practice helped me study how animals behaved in their habitats something that you can only observe outdoorsrdquo she reveals One of her earliest works is the Living With Leopards series available at the souvenir shop at Sanjay Gandhi National Park in BorivliSefi George sketches outdoorsBankursquos story comes to life with the crayonstyle illustrations that make the animals seem approachable sans the scientific jargon Characters like the Whale Shark Scorpion and the Langur are all in on Bankursquos plans each lending him their tail for a test drive We learn that the scorpionrsquos tail is a defence mechanism against predators while the langurrsquos tail is an evolutionary adaptation to swing across treetops We like that the first and last pages present a list of the featured species encouraging readers to revisit the story to spot all of themRachna ChhabriaHaving sketched Mumbairsquos common fauna over the years Sefi leaves more than a few Easter eggs in each panel The one dedicated to the furry dog for instance also hides the lesserknown Wagtail bird in the background While Banku swims with the massive Whale Shark readers can spot the Hermit Crab or the Pomfret that is incidentally facing a population decline in Mumbairsquos seas owing to overfishing log on to knowyourfishcom to learn more about ethical seasonal consumption ldquoI donrsquot know if children will pick up on these citycentric nuances but the book is not just for them Itrsquos also for the parents who will read it out to their childrenrdquo Sefi explainsWhile Bankursquos tales are a great starting point to get young enthusiasts talking about wildlife itrsquos just the beginning of a slew of natureinspired works for Sefi Next in the pipeline is a booklet for the muchanticipated new Gorai Mangrove Park ldquoI have been visiting the mangroves in Airoli to study the fauna The spot shares many common species with the upcoming park in Gorai The illustration series will be ready soonrdquo she reveals If we had a tail wersquod be wagging it right about nowAVAILABLE Leading bookstores and estoresCOST Rs 250LOG ON TO summer_scribbles