Hachette India

Book Mine Series: The Circus for Young Readers

Mali Madhavan Nair

"A circus is more than just tricks"

The popular and fun-filled Koman Circus has been wrested away from Koman, the beloved ringmaster, by his cunning manager, Kelan. And now sadly Koman is dead, leaving the animals and other circus artistes helpless. Led by Chimpa the chimpanzee, the animals decide to start their own circus. They learn to do everything themselves - from managing money to thinking of new and dazzling tricks. Will their circus, the first of its kind, triumph over all odds? Or will Kelan succeed in his wicked plans to take everything away from them again?

This classic action-packed story of loyalty, faith and teamwork, written by the iconic Malayalam writer Mali, has been translated fully into English for the first time by his granddaughter and author Parvathi Ramkumar, to bring it to thousands more young readers.

Mali Madhavan Nair

V. Madhavan Nair (1915-1994), popularly known as 'Mali', was a master storyteller who wrote more than 50 books, including 40 for children. He was a renowned lawyer, journalist, sportsman, musicologist, Kathakali playwright, dramatist, editor and a pioneer in radio broadcasting. As a journalist he wrote for various English publications like The Hindu and The Statesman, and Malayalam periodicals like Mathrubhumi. His work Karnashapatham is the most successful Kathakali play written in the 20th century with more than 5,000 stage performances during Mali's lifetime.