​Mehlli Gobhai (1931-2018) was a painter and illustrator who trained at The Royal College of Art, London, The Pratt Graphic Centre and the Art Students League, New York.

This week's book pairing includes two beautifully produced board books from Talking Cub: The Tree Book and The Body Book both by Gobhai, and a biography of the artist written by Jerry Pinto and illustrated by Kripa, published by Pratham Books.

I'll admit, I feel a fraud writing about a great artist, his books and books about him. What do I know? I can't draw beyond stick figures, nor does my appreciation of art go beyond "this is beautiful" or "I like this."

But Gobhai's biography holds within it something for all readers, not just artists or those who can appreciate art. I particularly loved this passage from the book.

"What if you make a mistake?" Jerry asked him.

"Mistakes are always welcome."

"You're not serious?"

"A mistake can show you what you wanted to do, or it can show you what could be done if you let go."

A pause.

"If you never make a mistake, it's because you're never taking a risk."

The book's illustrations are a mix of Gobhai's work and Kripa's own beautiful renderings, reimagining moments from the artist's life.

Who are children's books about art for? Children who love art? Art educators? Should a book be written keeping a particular reader in mind or should they appeal to everyone? Can a book do both? These are questions I often ask myself and am still searching for answers to.

“How lovely it all looks,” said Jerry.

“Too much green,” said Mehlli.

“I thought everyone likes green,” said Jerry.

“I do, too. But when the trees are bare, you can see their shapes. You see how it is all geometry. Life has geometry underlying it.”

The artist's paired down approach to looking at the world can be seen in The Tree Book and The Body Book, two wordless books from Talking Cub.

In The Body Book we see a series of body parts up close and in isolation, in watercolour and fluid ink lines which add to the feeling of a body in motion.

The Tree Book shows leaves, branches and birds and nests in isolation before the last page where we see how they all come together.

There's so much discussion on what 'good' books for children do. The inform, they engage, they teach, they are predictors of standardised test grades, they are for joy, they increase vocabulary.

I'd like to add one to this list. They add beauty to a child's world.

Which is something both these books do.