Beyond Blyton, Horowitz and Cabot

Every time I walk into the children’s section at the neighbourhood Crossword (lifestyle bookstore in India) on weekends, I have to pick my way through young people squatting on the floor, nose buried in books. I like looking at the covers to see what they are reading. Most of the times it’s predictable fare — the latest 39 Clue mystery, a Nancy Drew, something by Meg Cabot or Jaqueline Wilson, Blyton, Anthony Horowitz and of course, Roald Dahl.  It’s not like I do not like these books (I like Pullman and Blyton), but I like discovering new writers. If you are keen to move beyond Blyton and introduce your children to other quality books and authors out there, here’s a rough guide. 

For smaller children

Say hello to Tashi
I love browsing around book stores, especially the old kind —  stores that stock only books. A friend introduced me to a neighbourhood treasure the other day. He is a comic book and graphic novel collector and hunts around looking for bargains at secondhand book stalls and kabaadiwalas. A frequent haunt of his is Happy Book Stall on Hill Road, Bandra  (next to the HDFC ATM, Rizvi Complex; Phone: 022 6725 5797), Mumbai. I tagged along last month and have since then revisited this cubbyhole of a store many times. I discovered the Tashi books here. This award-winning Australian series, written by Anna Feinberg and illustrated by Kim Gamble, is about Tashi, a boy from far off lands who escapes from a warlord and comes to Australia on the back of a swan. Each book narrates two Tashi adventures with a wild medley of characters from different lands — clever magicians, fire-breathing dragons, fearsome warlords, demons, ghosts, genies and witches. They are the perfect length for younger children at 63 pages and are a steal at Rs60.

Bring Paddington home
A bear is found abandoned by the Brown family at Paddington station in London. They bring him home and he soon becomes a member of the family. This classic series about the marmalade-loving, troublemaking bear (though he only means well and always tries hard to get things right) is now available in India at Rs250 each. You can order them from online bookstore Book Adda for Rs200 (http://www.bookadda.com). 

For older children

The Younguncle series
In a small, sleepy town in northern India, three children gaze out onto a rain-drenched street, waiting for a most unusual guest… thus begins the first fun-filled adventure with Younguncle. Unfortunately, writer Vandana Singh has given us just two books in this delightful series (Younguncle Comes to Town and Younguncle in the Himalayas), I hope she brings out more soon. The protagonist Younguncle will seem very familiar — I think most of us have had a Younguncle in our lives — our mother’s or father’s youngest unmarried brother who spoilt us rotten, egged us on to do irreverent things rather than homework, and lead us on funny and fabulous adventures.
 
Discover Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo is no ordinary storyteller. His tales have a strange melancholic beauty and linger on for a long time. Many of his books are based around animals where the protagonist, a child, rescues or befriends an animal and they are parted from each other at some point. My nine-year-old son read Kaspar, the Prince of Cats — a 224-page book — at one go. Of course, he had a headache afterwards but he said he just had to finish the story. Morpurgo also has several life-affirming novels like Private Peaceful and Alone on a Wide Wide Sea (about six-year-old orphan Arthur Hobhouse who is shipped to Australia after WWII). I’ve found Morpurgo at Danai bookstore (Phone: 022 2648 7123) in Khar, Mumbai, as well as at Happy Book Stall. 

Books by Tara Publishing
“But are these really for children?” is a question I encounter many times when I recommend books by Tara for children. Inevitably it turns out the person is the sort who believes children’s books have to be of a certain kind, written and illustrated in a certain way. It’s inconceivable that something illustrated in an Indian folk art style, a folkstory retold can grab a child’s attention. But I have gifted Tara books to young people I know and they have loved them. Many Tara books are works of art, illustrated by well-known Indian tribal artists. My favourites are — The London Jungle Book illustrated by Gond artist Bhajju Shyam, The Flight of the Mermaid based on the Hans Andersen story illustrated by Bhajju Shyam, The Spectacular Spectacle Man by Vishakha Chanchani and A Wild Elephant At Camp written by Anupama Mohorkar. 

The classics recreated
A March 2009 story in The Guardian newspaper announced that Walker Books, a well-known UK publishing house, was working on recreating popular classics with the best contemporary illustrators for today’s young readers. The article had featured some images from the upcoming books as a teaser photo essay of what was in store. Since then I have been waiting to see the series in a bookstore here. I finally stumbled upon them on one of my visits to Happy Book Stall. The books are worth collecting just for the great art — the illustrators read like the who’s who of the best in the field and many of the books have won international design awards. Pinnochio’s interpretation by award-winning illustrator Sara Fanelli is rather abstract and playful. Moby Dick is very brooding — with all black and white sketches. Chris Riddell, cartoonist with the Observer, reworks Gulliver Swift with insightful and very funny illustrations. Wind in the Willows, recreated by Inga Moore, is mesmerizing with illustrations seemingly awash in a magical light. I have a collector’s edition of The Secret Garden illustrated by Moore — her work is truly magical. All in all, a great way to introduce your kids to the classics. I am planning to buy them all.