PVLF 2026

Interview With Chitwan Mittal, Author of “One Elephant Two Monkeys”

Chitwan on One Elephant, Two Monkeys: a playful bilingual book that fosters early literacy, joy, empathy, and cultural connection in young readers.
on Sep 23, 2025

Frontlist: One Elephant and Two Monkeys is joyful and playful on the surface, yet it carries a deeper mission — to nurture early literacy. How do you see this book contributing to the larger journey from literacy to liberation for young readers?

Chitwan: Children read what interests them, and while this sounds like a basic idea, it’s actually crucial to the success of any children’s book. Kids tend to respond best to books that don’t talk down to them, that are engagingly written, and that are exciting and fun to read. I believe One Elephant, Two Monkeys ticks all these boxes.

Frontlist: The book uses bilingual storytelling in Hindi and English. Beyond language acquisition, how do you think bilingual picture books shape a child’s sense of understanding?

Chitwan: I think it is very important for children to have access to their mother tongues. Research has shown that being able to speak more than one language is beneficial for cognitive development, and beyond that it’s also a huge part of identity and one’s sense of self, and one’s place in the world.

Frontlist: In early childhood education, sensory engagement is key. How did you incorporate elements like rhythm, repetition, and colour into One Elephant and Two Monkeys to strengthen both memory and joy in learning?

Chitwan: The text being in rhyme, the words being simple and the colourful art all work together to make learning fun. It was very important to us to ensure that the book is one that kids can keep coming back to.

Frontlist: Many parents and educators struggle to make early literacy engaging without relying solely on digital tools. How do you envision this book being used in homes and classrooms to create shared, interactive reading experiences?

Chitwan: A love of reading is best fostered when children are young. Setting aside time for reading as a family activity is a great way to get kids to associate books with enjoyment and emotional connection. Personally, my love for reading started because my mother used to tell us stories every night. I think reading aloud to kids when they’re very young is a great way to get them interested early, and all our board books are made with this in mind. Rhyming text is fun to read aloud but it also helps with recall. Also, the book’s light tone and fun art would work well with parents or teachers who want to use funny sounds, voices and other storytelling tricks!

Frontlist: Having lived and worked between India and Singapore, you’ve seen different educational cultures up close. How does your cross-cultural experience shape the themes, language, and accessibility of your books for young readers?

Chitwan: I firmly believe that children’s books should inspire and uplift. I also think that at the heart of the human experience are certain basic universal values. Both as a writer and a publisher, I try to put our books that embody these values, while also being rooted in the cultural traditions of India. I think my own life experiences have shown me that it’s possible to make any story relatable, across cultures, if you keep those universal human values in mind.

Frontlist: In your view, what is the connection between early playful learning and the development of empathy, self-expression, and critical thinking later in life?

Chitwan: Parents and even teachers and counsellors based in schools are looking for books that can help children understand and learn how to behave in the world they live in. The trend is essentially that books are seen as a vehicle for holistic learning, not just to impart information. It’s clear now that books encourage social skills, emotional intelligence and empathy in children, and that’s shaping the interest in books that present real-world situations to them.

Frontlist: How do you envision your children’s books contributing to a larger movement toward inclusive, value-driven, and culturally rooted education?

Chitwan: Adults often forget that children witness all kinds of injustice, inequity, and violence in the world around them. While it may be uncomfortable to talk about, it’s important that kids have a safe space within which to ask questions and feel heard. That’s why we publish books about all sorts of stories and ideas, because these can serve as conversation starters, help parents introduce aspects of their culture and heritage to their children, and teach values through stories.

Frontlist: Looking ahead, do you see yourself expanding these playful learning concepts into other subjects or age groups? If so, how might those books evolve differently from One Elephant, Two Monkeys?

Chitwan: We already have a few other books out that touch upon both counting and diversity (1,2,3 Idlis in a Sambar Sea), art appreciation (Neel: Krishna through art) and are bringing out several more books that combine a concept or idea with a story that also incorporates activities. We will have several more out later this year and next year, on India’s cities, historical traditions, wildlife and more.