Revenge of the Puppets

Four old puppets, some brand-new rivals and one very sneaky plan.

Revenge of the Puppets is a funny, fantastical picture book about string puppets who come alive at night.

In Posalia, a village in Rajasthan, four worn puppets put on lively shows by day and come alive every night. Then their masters decide to replace them with newer puppets. Facing the scrap heap, the old troupe must plot to save themselves, and the newcomers had better watch out.

Why children love it

• Puppet-show scenes, with painted wooden figures dancing on strings from the puppeteers' hands.
• Night-time mischief, as Dagdu tugs a horse puppet's mane and Kalia turns a silver-masked puppet's feet around.
• Bold, textured art in deep reds, yellows and greens, down to the chequered floors.

By Nadine D'souza · Illustrated by Ayush Rajvanshi · English

Quick answers

What kind of puppets are these? String puppets from Rajasthan, like the traditional kathputli, worked from above by puppeteers holding the strings.

Can a child read it alone? Confident readers can. Each page has a few short paragraphs with plenty of lively dialogue, so it also reads aloud well.