2020

As an editor of Indian books for children and young adults…


Editorial
Shannon Messenger

In the lockdown, I read the entire Keeper of the Lost Cities series, written by Shannon Messenger.  There are eight books in total in the series. I was encouraged to read it by my dear friend
Shriya Kothari, and since we have similar tastes in books, I decided.


Reviewed by: Serena Shah
Nishith Mehta

Eklavya, as we all know, is a non-profit NGO engaged in the creation and dissemination of educational resources among children who need them most. In partnership with Parag, an initiative of Tata Trusts, they have been creating books suitable for use by children in India’s.


Reviewed by: -
Rinchin. Illustrations by Kanak Shashi. Translated from the original English by Sushil Joshi, Varsha and Shashi Sublok. Edited by Seema

The book under review consists of seven stories, based on rural backgrounds. The people’s struggle to save their small landholdings from the sharks from the urban areas form the basis of the stories. ‘Chudail ka Nashta’, ‘Me Mor Jamin Bachawat Hun.


Reviewed by: -
Kavita Tiwari, Kanak Shashi and Sajitha Nair. Illustrations by Kanak Shashi. Cover design by Bindu Joseph, Rahul and Bharat

Mera Khachchar Danda Hai is a collection of 40 poems and pictures by children, written over a period of thirty-four years  and published in various issues of Chakmak, a children’s magazine. One page in every issue has been devoted to children’s writings and illustrations, the column titled  ‘Mera Panna’.


Reviewed by: Aruna Patel Vajpeyi
Kamla Bhasin. Illustrations by Priya Kuriyan

‘Are all girls alike? Should all girls be alike? It would be boring if they were!’Satrangi Ladkiyaan/Satrangi Ladke, an illustrated flip (picture) book for young children, written by feminist activist, poet and author Kamla Bhasin and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan, through its simple narrative.


Reviewed by: Rabani Garg