Midnight Motorbike

Imagine Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site set in the jungle. On a night too hot to sleep, Amma takes her daughter on a magical, moonlit motorbike ride through South India.

In this lush mother-daughter nighttime adventure through the jungles of southern India, debut author Maureen Shay Tajsar enchants the reader with all five senses, offering smells of spicy tea and warm hay, tastes of warm potato dosa, and wind washing over sandaled feet. Debut illustrator Ishita Jain immerses the reader in the deepest blue, the darkest night, and the coziest love, in a book that feels at once like a hug and an adventure.

There’s no better way to be lulled to sleep than tucked against Amma on her motorbike, and a Midnight Motorbike read-aloud is the next best thing. Drawing on the childhood memories of both author and illustrator, this sumptuous treasure is sure to be a new family favorite.

Maureen Shay Tajsar, PhD. holds her MA and doctorate from the University California Los Angeles in English Postcolonial Literature, with a specialization in global Anglophone narratives, refugee migration, and extraterritorial geography. She received her BA (Theatre/English) from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland as well as her MA (Indo-Caribbean Literatures), and a professional training degree in physical theatre and circus arts from the École Jacques Lecoq, International School of Theatre in Paris, France. She has lived in several different countries and taught everything from theatre to puppetry, community health, dance, music, art and literature in places like Ireland, India, Tunisia, Curaçao and the Basque Country to children and youth aged 3-18. She has published in numerous academic peer-reviewed journals as well as edited collections, and now works as a writer and editor, curriculum developer and teacher. Her passion is the curiosity and wonder of children’s imaginations!

Ishita Jain is an illustrator and designer based in NYC, though she is originally from Delhi, India. She loves to draw on location and enjoys documenting the people, places and stories that surround her. Her work is inspired by day to day moments, giant trees, shimmering spots of light and the wonder that comes from being around nature. She works across media, both digital and traditional. Ishita studied graphic design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India and went to the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Program at School of Visual Arts, New York.