Nandana Dev Sen pens new book for kids

Actor and child-rights activist Nandana Dev Sen has come out with a new book for children - an adventure about discovering strengths and celebrating the unique gifts that make every kid special.
"Mambi and the Forest Fire", published by Puffin India, tells the story of a shy little monkey called Mambi who adores her older jungle friends.
Sparkly-eyed, swishy-tailed and smiley-faced Mambi may have the ability to jump higher than any animal in the forest but she wants to dance in the wind like Koko the crow or glide through water like Tonga the turtle.
One day, a terrifying danger befalls the forest when Mambi overcomes all her fears and jumps to save her friends.

The book has illustrations by Saskia Pekelharing. Says Nandana about her book, "Mambi came into my life in Kolkata, when I spent a day in a shelter for children rescued from trafficking, and from the streets. These kids were incredibly creative and resilient but, having a history of trauma, most were also very shy, at first. So I found myself inventing Mambi on the spot."
Mambi, according to her, is a shy but heroic monkey who wants to be like the others, but is braver than anyone else.
"By the end of the afternoon, I was playing with a delightfully raucous, utterly irrepressible bunch of kids, who kept filling up our imaginary forest with characters and events - and setting it on fire! It was the most amazing transformation I've ever seen in one day - and one of the loveliest days in my life," says Nandana, who lives in Kolkata, London and New York, and works with children (and grown-ups) at UNICEF, Operation Smile, and RAHI to fight against child abuse.

Nandana, daughter of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, has starred in over 20 feature films including "Rang Rasiya", and is also the author of "Kangaroo Kisses".