Chennai-based South Indian publishing house Tara Books have just released their latest book: Seed. A few years ago, Gita Wolf, the founder of Tara Books, started her own organic farm near her home. Confronted with the mystical nature of seeds, Wolf decided she wanted to use the unique properties of a book to share her thoughts on them. She decided to collaborate with Tushur and Mayur Vayeda, two artists from the Warli tribe—a western Indian tribe who have many myths related to nature—who are also farmers. These were the simple beginnings of this project that creatively and harmoniously brings together the stories and illustrations with tactile elements that can only be achieved from a hand-crafted book like this.

The team decided that they would use four separate methods to deliver this story about a seed’s journey: pop-up, accordion, traditional artwork, and fold out. More info about this process and background of the book can be found in a blog post by Wolf on the Tara Books website.

Seed
Text: Gita Wolf
Art: Tushur Vayeda and Mayur Vayeda
Translation for the Japanese edition: Keito Aoki