A Kite Called Korika

This story is set in a village in Andhra Pradesh. The monsoon has failed in Yellaiah's village and everything is dry and dusty. One day, he is sitting under a gnarled old peepal tree with an old woman called Rajamma who sells overripe fruits when he looks up at the sky and sees something black like a dot there. He keeps looking and finds it is a kite that's descending downward and it falls right beside him. Excitedly he picks it up. Rajamma looks at the patterns on the kite and tells him it is a wish-fulfilling kite. So Yellaiah calls it Korika, which, in Telugu, means that which is wish fulfilling. Soon, all his friends are making wishes – for bangles, a school bag, a full meal... This moving story about dreams and fears is matched by tender pictures that explore the innocence and vulnerability of children.