Up the Mountains of India

Book excerpt: How did a whale go up the Himalayas? Where would you find a spider shaped like the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter stories? On which peaks and slopes can you find both snow and coffee beans sometimes? Up which hill is the observatory that helped to sight a super-Neptune-sized planet? Put on your climbing boots to find out hundreds of fascinating facts about our country's best-known mountain ranges - the Himalayas, the Trans-Himalayas, the Aravallis, the Vindhyas, the Satpuras, the North-east mountains, the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats. Find out how each range was formed, discover the plants, trees and wildlife on them, and do your bit to save them from getting destroyed. Meet amazing communities who live in harmony with nature even now. Clap for the scientists who look under rocks and into tree holes for new species of flora and fauna. And once you have worked up an appetite, the yummy dishes of the hills will fill you right up (bamboo biryani, anyone?). From ice stupas and battles in the snow to floating schools and Titanosaurus eggs, from wool gatherers and medicine makers to the fastest diving bird and a tiger that could win the 'Best Dad' award - this book, filled with photos and illustrations, will take you on an exciting climb up and down the mountains of India.