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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →These two picture books place very different kinds of hero side by side: Hanuman, drawn from the Valmiki Ramayana, and Karthyayani Amma, whose real-life story is about beginning school at 96. Scroll.in’s August 8, 2025 feature identifies both books as Bloomsbury India titles and describes what distinguishes them.
At a glance
| Book | Subject | Author and illustrator | What the feature describes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanuman: The Flying Hero | Mythic hero Hanuman | Sudhamahi Regunathan; illustrated by Anushka Madhavan | Tales translated from the Valmiki Ramayana, with a companion guide for adults and older children to provide context. |
| Barefoot Empress | Karthyayani Amma, a real-life subject | Vikas Khanna; illustrated by Aaryama Somayaji | A story about Amma’s late start in formal education and her achievement in Kerala’s government literacy examination. |
Scroll.in credits Bloomsbury India as publisher for both books. Its feature presents excerpts and descriptions, rather than a full review or a formal reading-level assessment. Read the feature on Scroll.in.
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Hanuman: The Flying Hero: stories from the Ramayana
Sudhamahi Regunathan’s book, illustrated by Anushka Madhavan, is described as a collection of classic tales translated from the Valmiki Ramayana. Its subject is a mythic figure, and the book adds a companion guide intended to help adults and older children understand the context of the stories.
That guide may be useful when a family wants to talk through the stories together. The feature does not specify the guide’s contents, or give an age band, reading level, or other detail from which to judge how independently a child might read the book.
#1 Best Overall
Barefoot Empress: Karthyayani Amma’s story
Written by Vikas Khanna and illustrated by Aaryama Somayaji, Barefoot Empress tells the story of Karthyayani Amma. According to Scroll.in’s description of the book, Amma first went to school at age 96 and later scored 98 out of 100 in Kerala’s government literacy examination.
The score is reported in the feature’s description; it is not independently confirmed here against an examination record. The book’s focus is a real person’s life, in contrast to the mythological stories in Hanuman: The Flying Hero.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the books differ
- Subject: Hanuman and tales from the Valmiki Ramayana in one book; Karthyayani Amma’s real-life story in the other.
- Additional context: The Hanuman title includes a companion guide for adults and older children. The feature does not describe an equivalent guide for Barefoot Empress.
- Reading suitability: Scroll.in frames the books for very young readers, but does not provide a formal age recommendation or reading-level information. The headline should not be treated as a publisher age rating.
The feature does not provide enough information to compare the books by length, format, price, or current availability.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- My First Mythology Tale (Illustrated) - Mahabharata, Krishna, Hanuman, Ganesha, Ramayana - Story Book for Kids,
- Set of 5 Books
- It is made up of premium quality material."
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