India, June 27 -- Deepa Bhasthi - who won the International Booker Prize this year along with Banu Mushtaq whose short stories she translated from Kannada into English - has a new book out. Titled Champi and the Fig Tree, it is a picture book for children that celebrates what human beings share with various other species through the story of a girl named Champi who loves figs.

The protagonist is awe-struck when she discovers that her favourite fruit has many other fans, including squirrels, hornbills, porcupines and civet cats. Without being didactic, the author signals a gentle shift from an anthropocentric view of the universe to a more holistic and inclusive vision that respects the place of all sentient beings in the vast web of life...