Leopard in Mumbai - Picture book review

What if a leopard escaped from a national park and headed into the city? Leopard in Mumbai seems to be a book written to answer this.

Leopard in Mumbai picture book cover. Written by Lubaina Bandukwala and illustrated by Allen Shaw. — Leopard in Mumbai. Written by Lubaina Bandukwala and illustrated by Allen Shaw.

Leopard in Mumbai has a long horizontal book format, that mirrors the long trains that turn up right at the beginning. In this page, the escaped leopard hops on a train, only for horrified passengers to hop off again.

Inside Leopard in Mumbai picture book. Written by Lubaina Bandukwala and illustrated by Allen Shaw. — The text written from the leopard’s perspective reads:
I caught a fast train from Borivali to Bandra.
Everyone in my compartment quickly cleared out. How bizarre!

“小P不会走。 ”

When I read the text to Little P, he declared he won’t leave the train compartment like the other passengers did.

Throughout the book, the leopard continued to hop on and off various transportation. So besides the Borivali railway station, other transportation links like Bandra-Worli Sea Link and various landmarks are also mentioned. This include the local religious buildings.

Local religious buildings & landmarks

Local religious landmarks like a church, a mosque and a temple are woven into his adventures. At a church festival, the leopard tried to do some shopping, but the shop-keepers were not so keen to indulge him.

Little P who was more engaged than the shop-keeper was keen to suggest that maybe the leopard would like the toy car.

“花豹可能会要那个玩具车。”

Local food culture

The leopard stops by Marine Drive and samples some local roadside food.

Note to self that if we were to borrow and read this book again in future, I should see if I can get the mentioned food here in Singapore. So that we can better understand what exactly they look and taste like!

If you are a stranger to Mumbai, the author has included a glossary at the back to keep you clued in to what you are reading to your child! So now we get some idea what the food mentioned is about!

So many Mumbai vehicles!

This was a book that Little P enjoyed greatly and we read many times simply because… cars!!

Car-obsessed Little P had fun following this leopard’s tracks as it hitches a ride on various transport and breezes past various landmarks as it infiltrates Mumbai!

Leopard in Mumbai promises to be a fun read and is especially relevant if a child is exploring Mumbai nature, geography and culture! These parts are still referencing reality, although the book is written in the perspective of the leopard.

Leopard in Mumbai picture book review banner

As of 2020, over 45 leopards live in the park… As the areas around the Sanjay Gandhi National Park have become more densely populated, the leopards of Mumbai do occasionally encounter humans – in fact, this very book is based on a couple of true incidents that have occurred in the city!
Bandukwala, L., & Shaw, A. (2021). A City of Diverse Inhabitants. In Leopard in Mumbai. essay, Karadi Tales Company Pvt. Ltd.