In her book When Adil Speaks, Words Dance, published by Penguin Random House, author Lavanya Karthik writes about the friendship a young boy shares with Adil. Adil has ruffled curly hair. “He runs like the wind. He swims like a fish.” Adil wears a hearing aid and communicates via sign language. So, when Adil speaks, words dance. “I wish I could be like Adil. He talks with his fingers, he listens with his eyes,” Karthik writes.
Books on disability are rare—rarer still for kids. “There are some excellent books for early and middle graders and young adults in the international market
For a long time, children’s books in India
“More books are being written and published now in India that deal with topics that are traditionally considered difficult in children’s writing,” says Sudeshna Shome Ghosh, publisher at Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger Books. “While the fantasy books and series are on a decline, the focus is shifting towards contemporary stories, real-life
For example, What Happened to Grandpa, a graphic novel by Nandini Nayar, delves into how a granddaughter perceives her grandpa, who, due to age or disease, starts forgetting things. “Grandpa knew many people. But what happened to Grandpa was that he got their names mixed up
Kids’ books, for a large part, are considered all fun and adventure, and disease, death and grief can be seen as tough topics to present. It’s all about how a writer chooses to present the story, highlights Nayar.
“In What Happened to Grandpa, I have avoided mentioning the name of the illness that Grandpa gets. It is because the story is narrated from the point of view of the granddaughter, a child for whom the name doesn’t really matter. What matters is how it changes her grandfather. Yes, death is a difficult topic to write about for children. But we make it difficult because of the way we tiptoe around it instead of adopting a matter-of-fact attitude. My story does not draw attention to the grandfather’s death or even state explicitly that he is dead,” she says. “Similarly, my 2022 picture book Sometimes Mama, Sometimes Papa is about a girl whose parents live separately and how she deals with this. From the point of view of the child, it doesn’t matter if the parents live apart because of the demands of a job or because they are divorced. So, there is no mention of why they live apart. Instead, I have chosen to focus on how the child deals with having two homes,” she adds.
“We’re seeing a lot more children’s books on socio-emotional learning, books that take on difficult subjects and help to simplify them for children. For instance, books on emotions and how to deal with them are big areas of growth, as are titles about neurodivergence and situations that children might encounter in their own lives, such as failure, a fractured family or bullying,” says Chitwan Mittal, publisher, AdiDev Press.
Along with such themes that are intrinsic to the human experience, children’s writers are also increasingly exploring topics that reflect upon the socio-political climate and how they are perceived by the kids. “Among the more important books we’ve published recently is The Boy with a Hundred Questions, which weaves in the stories of different faiths and beliefs into the story of a boy who asks questions and more questions as he accompanies his father on a quest to find his many doppelgangers. It is imperative that we make children understand different faiths and beliefs so that they can grow into tolerant adults,” says Tina Narang, publisher, HarperCollins Children’s Books. “A Higgledy Piggledy Growing Up is a young adult novel we recently published, which is the story of a boy whose life is turned completely upside down within three months as he experiences several life-changing events and communal hatred at close quarters,” she adds.
Set in the ’70s-80s, Shibal Bhartiya’s Bena’s Summer is one such book, which starts off as a reminiscence of the bygone times—those of the fun and laughter that marked the summers in a joint family. However, this is turned upside down marred by riots, abuse, and death, which leaves an impact on the eight-year-old Benazir, or Bena, to family and friends.
“A perfect childhood is akin to cold fusion or a calorie-free dessert. They are all nice ideas but never come through in execution. Bad things happen. They happen to all of us. Age isn’t a barrier to the horrors of living. And representation matters. It helps children feel seen. It gives them a syntax to voice their own lived experiences,” says Bhartiya.
The role of parents and teachers can be crucial as they can often become gatekeepers in deciding what is appropriate and inappropriate for the kids to read. However, that is changing as well, as per publishers.
“Parents and even teachers and counsellors based in schools are looking for books that can help children understand and learn how to behave in the world they live in. For instance, our book Are Your Emotions Like Mine? has proven to be extremely popular with parents of toddlers who are learning how to recognise, name and deal with emotions,” says Mittal of AdiDev Press.
Here, Mittal also highlights why publishers, too, should avoid having any guardrails when it comes to themes considered appropriate for kids to read. “Adults often forget that children are not as sequestered as we think they are. They see all kinds of injustice, inequity and violence in the world around them, and while it may be uncomfortable to talk about, it’s important that they have a safe space within which to ask questions and feel heard. That’s why we think there are no topics that are off limits, it all comes down to how something is handled, always keeping the age of the audience in mind,” she highlights.
Vidhi Bhargava, publisher, Red Panda, the children’s imprint of Westland Books, too, says, “There is a growing number of parents seeking books to help broach difficult topics with their children.” However, “the proportion of those interested is still relatively small.” Here, along with treatment, the themes also factor in.
“Several books addressing themes of identity and grief have resonated well. For instance, there was a wave when several picture books dealing with grief and loss made their way to the bookshelves. However, topics like sexuality and same-sex relationships in children’s and teen’s literature remain rare,” says Bhargava.
Simon & Schuster India, which imports its children’s books, too, is witnessing a similar trend because of what Abhay Singh, senior manager, marketing
Here, the marketing strategy adopted by publishers, too, factor in. “The strategy would be to find platforms and places that help in the discovery of these books and where the child can have access to them. We have witnessed that librarians, library curators, bookstore curators, communities and influencers are talking about such issues, and this is finally making the mainstream media notice as well,” says Mansi Shetty, general manager, marketing, children’s division, Penguin Random House India.
Although kids’ books on certain themes are received better than others, there’s greater diversity and inclusivity than a few years ago. “I wish we had books that let us talk of what was happening to us, and around us—anything that would catalyse the difficult and painful conversations I know each one of us needed to have when growing up,” says Bhartiya. “That I think is the true change one sees in children’s literature now—the representation of us, our lived experience, as well as of those not quite like us, and also, of situations hitherto considered ‘not appropriate’ for children,” she adds.
What kids can grow up on this summer
Mia, a 6-year-old girl, loves ice creams and going to the carnival. But she also loves to say ‘no’, so much so that one day, ‘yes’ leaves. Will ‘yes’ ever return to Mia?
Author: Aarti Khatwani Bhatia
Adi Krishnan is brilliant. He loves to read and remembers everything. But he has no friends. He is different and his classmates and teachers consider him a weirdo. Will the bullying end?
Author: Zarin Virji
Kunal (whose mother dies) and Tara (recovering from the death of her best friend) live through their separate losses, while there is also the power of friendship and music.
Author: Nandita Basu
The Big Bad Bug is a self-proclaimed rare species and is used to getting his way. But will he eventually learn to share, and mend his ways when it comes to bullying?
Author: Kate Read
Priya the Jungle Dancer is the story of the strong bond children share with their grandparents and the magical power of the family.
Author: Sathya Achia
- The Boy with a Hundred Questions
Shunya is an inquisitive nine-year-old, whose mind buzzes with a hundred questions. This is his journey through mystical tales and philosophies
Author: Nalini Ramachandran
Here, A is for… atma, B for Brahma, and C for… caste. This is a reimagination of the Hindu faith for the young readers
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
- A Higgledy Piggledy Growing Up
Neel lives with his joint family in Bengaluru. However, his ordinary life takes a turn when he is faced with communal hatred at school & outside
Author: Poile Sengupta
An Indian family moves to Iran in the 1970s and the two children make Tehran their home. Then the Islamic Revolution happens and their lives are not the same anymore
Author: Dr Alaka Rajan Skinner
- When Fairyland Lost Its Magic