MRP 349 / ORDER LINK / 24 Pages
ABOUT THE BOOK
“Darling, why don’t you come out and play?
I wonder what you do in there all day?”
Karan’s favourite place in the whole world is his cupboard. If he’s not at school, he’s in the cupboard. Even if he goes out to play with his friends, he’ll be back inside the cupboard before you know it. And somehow, no one’s asked him why until one day, Ma does. And even though Ma usually knows everything, she didn’t know what Karan was going to say…
A heartfelt tale about a boy trying to understand himself and his place in the world, The Boy in the Cupboard is for everyone who’s ever questioned something they were blindly asked to believe in.
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Children are our hope for a gentler, more inclusive future and what better way to initiate a conversation with them than a beautifully illustrated picture book (art by Priya Dali), and a story (by Harshala Gupte) that includes moments that almost every child and adult has experienced at some point in their lives. A first for Gaysi Family and Lettori Press, The Boy in the Cupboard is an attempt to pave a block on the path towards a world that doesn’t force anyone into a literal or metaphorical closet.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Harshala Gupte was born and raised in the mad city of Mumbai, which she believes taught her the first lessons in inclusivity and acceptance. Her fascination is with telling common-day stories with nuances that make each one of them, extra-ordinary. Her day job is of a brand strategist, which takes up most of her nights too. But as long as she gets to play with words and reach out to people, all ‘swell. The Boy in the Cupboard is her first children’s book.
Priya Dali is an independent illustrator and graphic designer from Mumbai. Through her art, she engages in conversations about gender, sex, and sexuality. She enjoys using a mix of humour and personal experiences in her work. Priya is a part of Scribble Foundation, an organization that aims to give children across the country a chance to transform their own learning environments into lively and colourful spaces. She is also the art director at Gaysi Family. In her spare time, she likes to draw bad jokes.
ABOUT LETTORI PRESS
Lettori Press is an independent and progressive publishing house trying to create fun and engaging ways of telling diverse Indian stories that help children (and adults!) think about their experiences more deeply. With its stories, Lettori hopes to create a more inclusive, equal, and empathetic world. Know more at www.lettoripress.com.
