“If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything.You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree”
-Michael Crichton
I have been fascinated by historical figures, years and dates since childhood..So, when I received a mail from Rupa Publications to review the book ‘Kings and Queens’ & ‘Battles and Warriors’ by Subhadra Sen Gupta,I just grabbed the opportunity. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. The review of Battles and Warriors- another book in the series ‘Exploring India’ has also been posted on my blog.
The Book Cover as well as the Book Title is apt. The book cover depicts the Indian King Krishnadevaraya standing majestically against an artistic backdrop of his capital Hampi. The blurb more or less gives an idea about which of the ‘Kings and Queens’ we can expect to read in the book.
“The Exploring India series of books are delicious, bite-sized portions of history that will interest every reader who wants to know more about various facets of India.Kings and Queens takes the reader on a journey through the lives of four important kings and queens of India: Chandragupta Maurya, Krishnadeva Raya, Razia Sultan and Nurjahan.
Find out about the fascinating lives of these men and women who were great change makers of their times. Read about how they came to power, what they accomplished during their reigns, what life was like for the ordinary people under their rule and why do we still remember them to this day.
Concise yet filled with relevant details and accompanied by attractive colour illustrations, the Exploring India series will make history fascinating and unforgettable for every reader”
India is a land of magnificent palaces of grandeur-housing the royalty; invasions, stories of extraordinary valour with lots of surprises and twists.All this and more can be found in ‘Kings and Queens’. The descriptions of the life and struggles of the ‘Kings and Queens’, wars, the strategies used by the warriors and the planning behind the conquests have been written so effortlessly and in required quantity that the readers -especially children will understand,enjoy and be awed by the rich Indian History!
I particularly loved the illustrations by Tapas Guha. Be it the garb of the warriors or the coins ,each of these have been illustrated so well that the reader need not refer to other resources for clarity or details.The pictures are eye-capturing, colourful and self explanatory. The maps of the ancient Indian kingdoms are so simple and clear that children are bound to understand after just one glance.
This book makes an interesting read for adults and is a good source to know much more about the unchronicled glory of our country.During my school days,I had not read much about Razia Sultana or Nurjahan but this book helped me to widen my horizon about these women warriors! These stories go onto show that even Kings and Queens do not have it easy!
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Also, the add-on ‘Books you can Read’ section induces the reader to look out for further reading material. Overall, this book is sure to kindle a child’s appetite to know more about Indian History by being the perfect appetizer! By the way ,do you know the connection between Mumtaz Mahal and Nurjahan ? If not , do grab a copy of this book to know about it and to read many more such unknown facts about ‘Kings and Queens’ !
I give this book a rating of 4.5 / 5 !
Title of the book : Kings and Queens
Author : Subhadra Sen Gupta
Illustrator: Tapas Gupta
Genre : Non-Fiction/ History
Total Pages : 79
Publishers : Rupa Publications
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