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Every child should be shown the world of children

The New Indian Express Kochi

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May 01, 2025

KHYRUNNISA A is now a household name among those keenly following the Butterfingers journey or the animal stories in The Lizard of Oz. She even made a crocodile eat butter chicken for breakfast—a la Panchatantra style, according to fellow writer Shashi Tharoor.

- APARNA NAIR

With dollops of sports and sweet fun, she sets her stories in a world where children laugh freely, feel disgusted when denied their innocent wants, and aim to play, read, explore, and develop their innate skills—innocuously yet deftly.

The latest from her bouquet, Agassi and The Great Cycle Race, joins the list. And so will many more that she has lined up for release from June. TNIE spoke to the veteran writer about her books and the world of books today. Excerpts:

From cricket to football, karate to now tennis—your books for children seem to hover around sports.

I love sports and am a Nadal fan. Agassi and the Great Cycle Race is centred around tennis and cycling. The central character is Agassi, and the parrot that he gets along with, a vintage cycle, is Steffi. It's a kind of trip down memory lane.

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