Once upon a time, in a kingdom far way, there lived a princess who cried at the drop of a hat. Meet Kundhavai, whom the people in her kingdom referred to as cry baby. The little princess, like most children her age, was having a hard time dealing with big emotions. Help arrives from her aunt. How does Kundhavai manage to do away with her ‘cry baby’ image? The picture book Thottachiningi Ilavarasi by Tamil children’s publishing house Emmozhi Publications narrates the story through endearing illustrations.
Brought out in August this year, the book features text by Coimbatore-based J Nivethitha, who is also the founder of Emmozhi, and illustrations by Saara, who is based in Tirunelveli. “I’m a huge fan of the Ponniyin Selvan books and hence chose the name Kundhavai for my princess,” says 33-year-old Nivethitha, adding that there is no connection between the Chola princess and her protagonist.
