This is the foreword to a study I recently finished for Room to Read (India). For those who are interested in what children say about the books they read, this study may offer some interesting insights. Since I cannot add the entire text here, you can e-mail me at giri.shesh@gmail.com, asking for the entire report. Or, download the entire report from this link: http://www.mediafire.com/?hmhwyvmewgq"Literature for children has to go a long way in our country. Given the size, number of children and diversity in terms of language, geography and culture, books for children are too few. The case is acute with the majority of our children who go to government run schools. For instance, Room to Read India’s collection of story books in Hindi from all the available publishers for primary and elementary school going children numbers just 432! We are sure that the situation in other regional languages is no different. What about their quality and appropriateness? On several counts, this too deserves serious attention. Compare this with the thousands of books that exist for children in some countries of Europe, and the West. Not all of them may be good, or even appropriate. But their numbers seem to suggest that publishing or children is a serious business in these countries.
As adults who write and publish for children, it is important for us to believe that we know what children need and like. Without this belief, the edifice on which children’s literature is based would collapse. This study attempts to keep that belief aside for a moment. In addition, it endeavors to ask some new questions: what do children think about the books they read? Can we use this understanding to create better books for children? In this sense, this study attempts to break some fresh ground.
Along the way, we realized that the above two questions could not be answered without painting a larger canvas – that of understanding childhood itself, in all its richness, diversity and complexity. The experience that a child brings to reading a book is rooted in his or her upbringing – family, friends, community, and so on. As they grow, they create their own stories and narratives. It is the interface between this experience and the encounter with books that determines what children like or look forward to, as far as literature is concerned. Therefore, for us to understand what kinds of literature may be good for children from their own vantage points, it is important to first understand their narratives which really are reflections of who they are.
Room to Read (India) has enabled us to ask these questions through this study. Many thanks are due to them, particularly to Uddalak, Sunisha and Nita for believing that such a line of enquiry could throw up some insights. Thanks are also due to my colleagues Richa and Rekha for their enduring enthusiasm and reflections.
If this study can contribute even in a small way towards understanding where children come from, it will have served its purpose. Happy Reading...!"
As adults who write and publish for children, it is important for us to believe that we know what children need and like. Without this belief, the edifice on which children’s literature is based would collapse. This study attempts to keep that belief aside for a moment. In addition, it endeavors to ask some new questions: what do children think about the books they read? Can we use this understanding to create better books for children? In this sense, this study attempts to break some fresh ground.
Along the way, we realized that the above two questions could not be answered without painting a larger canvas – that of understanding childhood itself, in all its richness, diversity and complexity. The experience that a child brings to reading a book is rooted in his or her upbringing – family, friends, community, and so on. As they grow, they create their own stories and narratives. It is the interface between this experience and the encounter with books that determines what children like or look forward to, as far as literature is concerned. Therefore, for us to understand what kinds of literature may be good for children from their own vantage points, it is important to first understand their narratives which really are reflections of who they are.
Room to Read (India) has enabled us to ask these questions through this study. Many thanks are due to them, particularly to Uddalak, Sunisha and Nita for believing that such a line of enquiry could throw up some insights. Thanks are also due to my colleagues Richa and Rekha for their enduring enthusiasm and reflections.
If this study can contribute even in a small way towards understanding where children come from, it will have served its purpose. Happy Reading...!"
