Siena Baba is a happy artist with a weird and wonderful way of seeing the world - and an even weirder and more wonderful way of painting it. People say his pictures look like nothing they know, but that doesn't bother him. Until one day, he starts to paint an extraordinary set of animals, who don't seem to appreciate just how fantastic they are...Bhajju Shyam, the renowned Gond tribal artist, illustrates Sirish Rao's humorous and profound tale about the power of art and the imagination. Populated with such charming and disgruntled creatures as the Pea-pig, the Croco-rooster and the Monk-upine, children and adults alike will never want to leave the vibrant and surreal world of Siena Baba.

Author Biography

This brilliant Gond artist of the Gond tribe of central India has received international acclaim since the 2003 runaway success of The London Jungle Book. His captivating visuals and easy storytelling style fuse his perceptions of the modern world with his tribe's unique visual language. His work has been exhibited widely in India, Germany, Russia, the U.S. as well as in Milan, The Hague, Paris and London and has been published in Beasts of India and The Night Life of Trees. Perhaps the most versatile artist of the Gond art tradition, Bhajju uses inherited forms in very current and expressive ways, while experimenting with innovative subjects and new ideas. Sirish Rao is one of the most exciting new voices in contemporary Indian writing. He has authored sixteen books, ranging from novels and children's books to re-tellings of myths, and collections of pop art; several have won international awards. His writing refl ects his interests in nature, mountaineering, travel, people and the oddities of language. His award-winning works have been translated into Dutch, Italian, French, German and Korean.