New Releases by Shahrukh Husain

Enter a whimsical world, created in vivid detail with stunning illustrations by Alison Jay and clever, lyrical rhymes. Insect customers clamor to dine at the Tiny Baker''s cafe, but when the ladybug chefs fly off and upend the pristine bakery''s kitchen, the Tiny Baker learns an important lesson about friendship.

Generation after generation has passed down the ancient legend of a boy-king named Arthur who pulled a sword from stone, loved the beautiful Guinevere, and presided over the Round Table. And we still celebrate the ancient Celtic holy day of Samhain, only now we call it Halloween. The earth itself has preserved sacred Celtic cauldrons designed to raise soldiers from the dead. These legends and artifacts are all found in this exciting book that explores the fascinating world of ancient Celtic legend and belief.

Zara Hamilton leads an apparently charmed life as a human rights lawyer in London - but she is haunted by questions about her past. Why did her mother disappear? What made her college sweetheart, the Maharaja of Trivikrampur, abandon her? Why did her husband renege on a plan to return to her native India? And why has she avoided visiting her much-loved family home in Qila, Trivikrampur? After ten years as a Muslim in Britain, bereft of a homeland, Zara finally seeks the answers. When she returns to Qila, her world is shatteringly different, her aristocratic family mired in complications and far-right politics on the rise. Amid the unrest of a changing nation, Zara seeks the key to her mother''s secret as contemporary resentments clash with a harmonious past. "A Restless Wind piques the reader''s interest from the very beginning with fine details and a strong and engaging protagonist." The Deccan Herald "A fascinating emotional narrative of an expatriate, A Restless Wind intertwines the old with the new in modern India." Muneeza Shamsie, Newsline (Pakistan) "When India Exotic meets India Embattled a great new transcontinental heroine is born. Husain has put the characters together with great care. But it is Zara who is the novel''s anchor and her confusion over her identity propels the plot." Kaveree Bamzai, India Today "One intriguing trait of Husain''s narration is its delicately filigreed details. Her descriptions are graphic, colourful and semiotically nuanced. The semiotized narrative brings home to the reader the contrasted cultural set-ups, or, in phenomenological terms, the conflicting ''lifeworlds'' that the different characters in the novel inhabit." Arnab Bhattacharya, The Telegraph, India

Delicious and dangerous, this collection of fairy tales is a glorious tribute to women with ''do what thou wilt'' bravado - those who dare to wear the breeches. They shed their female garb (and modesty) and don the male''s role to save king, country, kin, and their own lives or for revenge, love, power and a good time. Shahrukh Husain''s tales from around the world - riddles, battle triumphs, bawdy and moving stories - prove that no heroine, or hero, is as exciting and daring as the irresitible cross-dresser of fairy tales.

Beware the women who are called witches, or those who claim the name for themselves... Banshees - a howling night-witch and harbinger of death; She-devils - Lilith and her daughters; or Bitches - Hecate, whose chariot is drawn by dogs. Alluring women, enchantresses, seekers of revenge, wise old women and badly-behaved girls. As Shahrukh Husain says, witches are ''womanhood in all its complexity''. Over fifty stories of crones and nixies, shape shifters and beauties are here, including the loving fox witch of Japan; Italy''s Witch-Bea-Witch; Scotland''s Goodwife of Laggan; Biddy Earl and the terrifying Kali and Baba Yaga who comes in many forms to haunt, entice, possess, transform and challenge. From every corner of the globe, with tom-foolery, fun, strife and victory, these folklore and legends celebrate women who step out of line.

Presents myths and legends from ancient civilizations around the world, including tales from Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, Scandinavia, and Africa.

Meet Mulla Nasruddin, a legendary character whose adventures and misadventures are enjoyed across the Islamic world. This witty collection of stories portrays his eccentric, engaging and irreverent character. Nasruddin always has a twinkle in his eye, a sliver of wisdom in his ramblings and a few good surprises up his sleeve! AGES: 6 and up AUTHOR: Shahrukh Husain writes for both adults and children and is the author of THE BAREFOOT BOOK OF STORIES FROM THE OPERA. When she is not writing, Shahrukh practices as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, specialising in transcultural work. Micha Archer has always loved the way words and pictures go together. Her illustrations are created using gouache, watercolour, pen and ink, and collage. She is influenced by her travels in West Africa, Mexico and Central America and the folk arts and crafts she saw there. She has also illustrated LOLA''S FANDANGO. REVIEWS: ". . . Husain''s accessible and lively prose delivers satisfying morals that are rarely predictable; for example, when the Mulla concocts an inventive story to keep his pupils from eating his baklava and returns to find the plate empty, he praises a pupil who tells a tall tale of his own. Rendered in vibrant golds, greens, and blues, Archer''s collages, created from a variety of papers and homemade stamps, seamlessly intermesh with the spirited vignettes" -- Publishers Weekly

This wonderful book brings together eight or ten captivating stories from India. The stories are simply told, whilst retaining the flavor of the original myths, and are superbly illustrated by artists specially commissioned to portray key visual features from the culture the story originated in. The stories are set in context by the use of colored panels throughout the text, highlighting further information about the characters, settings, or historical context.

This series brings together captivating stories from ancient civilisations. The stories are simply told, whilst retaining the flavour of the original myths, and are illustrated by artists specially commissioned to portray key visual features from the culture the story originated in.

This series brings together captivating stories from ancient civilisations. The stories are simply told, whilst retaining the flavour of the original myths, and are illustrated by artists specially commissioned to portray key visual features from the culture the story originated in.

Written for children both in primary and secondary education, this volume is part of a series that explores the stories and myths of ancient civilisations. It features a collection of Viking stories and myths.

History.

When Salek sets out to find out about the Prophet of Islam, he has no idea what awaits him— Why did his father leave him to follow a man he did not know? On his journey to seek the answer to this question and to know more about Muhammad, Salek meets many strangers on the way. Strangers who embrace him and tell him stories about the Muhammad they love and have faith in. Through their stories, Salek gets to know and love the man who valued truth, equality, kindness, and justice above all. This is an unusual collection of stories about the life of Prophet Muhammad— about the harsh deserts that were his home, the battles he fought, the choices he was faced with, and the path he chose. Seen through the eyes of a young boy, these tales of faith and discovery make for gripping reading.

In a small town somewhere in the Middle East lived Mulla Nasruddin. Mulla Nasruddin was famous for being a bit odd. He reacted to the follies of his fellow men and to the challenges of daily life - be it catching a runaway basket or celebrating the birth of a pot - in a manner that people found strange. But most wise men agreed that beneath the apparent foolishness of Mulla Nasruddin was a keen perception that cut straight to the truth. This collection of twenty-five tales contains all the fun and wisdom that makes the stories of Mulla Nasruddin so widely read and well loved.

The nine stories in this collection are taken from the rich tradition of African legend, and feature themes ranging from creation to the afterlife, from the natural world to magic and the supernatural, and from gods and heroes to monster and ogers. Fast-paced, yet clearly and lyrically told, these myths offer the reader a fascinating glimpse into African cultures both past and present, from the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria the Mbundu peoples of Angola to the Shona clans of Zimbabwe. Book jacket.

From the dawn of the human race, the idea of a Mother Goddess has been an archetype found in every culture and every era--and this fascinating study explores all of her many faces and multitude of roles

An impressive and varied collection of erotic myths and legends from the ancient world retold for today''s modern audience.

A woman is a witch, a snake, a plague, a rat, a rash, a poison, a burning flame and an assistant to the devil'' - Robert d''Abbrissel, priest. Evil Women. Every culture has them. Religions have banned and branded them. Men find them terrifying and fascinating. Women secretly admire them. An eye cast over the impressive if frightening array of characters reveals baby-thief Lamia, a fertile deity from Greek mythology with a serpent''s tail who seduced mortals and bred beautiful monster-children; Morgan le Fay, fairy sister to King Arthur, who according to Celtic legend tried to wrest the throne from him using her black magic powers; Medea who wreaked terrible revenge on Jason when he left her for a younger woman; Lilith, Eve, the Queen of Sheba, Delilah, Jezebel, Kali - all wicked women whose names have been with us for centuries as demons and sirens and troublemakers.

A dozen tales on women in history who dressed like men to achieve their goal, be it to gain power or save their men. The stories span the centuries and are set all over the world.

An illustrated guide to the origins, history, practices, and beliefs of Islam.

Myths and legends that reflect the richness of India''s ancient civilization.

A diverse collection of "delicious and dangerous tales"

Surveys the history, places of worship, legends, traditions, and art and architecture of the holy Muslim city.