Be it an audiobook for kids or curators of children’s books, Pandemic as well as innovative reading initiatives for kids continues to build a young community of bibliophiles
Books for kids, an audio book for kids by kids, a weekly online book market… all these are pandemic-inspired reading initiatives for kids. ,
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“Why aren’t there books for children?” Kochi-based book curator and teacher Treesa Tom, who started reading picture books, asks, busy animal alphabet, to her son Christopher when he was still in her womb. She had read that a baby in the womb starts hearing from the 26th week of pregnancy. After the birth of her son, during the pandemic, she continued to read to him and found that she showed signs of recognition to words such as toucan and hippopotamus, which she recited aloud with a change in voice.
He found that books for children were expensive and not easily available, due to which he had to look for sources of cheap books. He chose wholesale dealers of imported books. With a network, she launched her venture The Book Truck on Instagram. Soon, Treesa’s friends wanted her to recommend books for their children. “Being a teacher, I am able to suggest books. The books I buy are not brand new, but they are unused,” she says.
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After assessing a child’s reading patterns and preferences, she prepares a set of three books for a month and sends them out. Treesa started with a WhatsApp group and started posting videos of books and reading tips. He later structured this to post photos of the books every Monday at 8 a.m., followed by close-up photos of the pages so that members could see the font, illustrations, and understand the book’s texture. Since the books are used, the videos also show the damaged parts. Members send her a direct message and buy a set, if they are convinced of her selection.
Her young readers are classified as beginners, skilled, independent or pre-kindergarten and she also asks parents for their budget. “Roughly speaking, a set of three books costs between ₹500 and ₹700,” says Treesa. “Whether a professional parent, they need help because most don’t have time to do background research on selecting suitable books,” she says.
There are 15 categories of books that they have divided into their category: board books for children up to the age of four, which cannot be easily damaged due to being thick and tough; Picture Books, Puppet Books, Paperbacks, Hardbound and so on. With over 2,000 books in stock and collaborations with 800 dealers across the country, Treesa is now expanding its span to include novels for “tweens.”
audiobooks by kids
BTB Talkies, a children’s audio books for kids by Beyond the Box, Hyderabad
Hyderabad-based Anupama Dalmiya founded Beyond the Box, a platform to promote the love of literature among children, in 2019, “We need many more book curators because people don’t know what and how to read.” He started giving advice. Children four and a half years ago What else to read in creative writing As her ensemble grew, she founded a team of five that helps children aged seven to 14 with various aspects of literature.
She also brings out books written by children, such as poetry series and a set of short stories. Seeing the growing space for audiobooks, Anupama planned an audiobook for kids for kids. Anupama, who is planning to launch it on Children’s Day on November 14, says, “This will be the first audio book for kids for kids.
Vidya Mani, a resident of Bangalore, says that her Traveling Children’s Bookshop, funky rainbow Everything has been done about the treatment. Bengaluru-based Vidya Mani says, “Funky Rainbow is all about curation.” The red bus with books travels to the city’s schools and social events. With a team of three, this organization primarily deals with Indian children’s publications.
listen to the story
- BTB Talkies – Volume 1, an audiobook by kids will be launched on 14th November. With stories told by 10 children and is meant for children in the age group of 10 to 14. The stories are fictional and vary in genres like fantasy, thriller, comedy. And about relationships. The mini version of the book will be listed on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts. Published by Litoroma Inc., the abridged audiobook will be listed for sale through the online store Litoroma.
Vidya, who co-founded the initiative nine years ago, says, “Out of the 350 books we started with, we now have 9,500 books, all from an amazing array of children’s books by Indian publishers ” on wheels.
new scenes
Vidya, one of the first to be online when hit by COVID-19, says she is taking advantage of this quick move. In May 2020, he launched Book Buzzer, a two-hour live program every Saturday that kids and parents can watch for free on his YouTube channel and Facebook page. The move added 2,000 new customers and parents contacting them with specific needs, “such as a comic book for their child who enjoys humour, or a book that could help a child being bullied at school.” can handle the situation better.”
Some of the uniquely theme-based buzzers that have hosted Funky Rainbows during the pandemic are picture books for young readers, books on the environment, and girl power with a focus on the feisty girl protagonist. The Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2021 recognized Buzar as one of the innovative pandemic initiatives launched by an independent children’s bookstore around the world.
Vidya concluded, “When a child sees himself in a book, it initiates a conversation.” Which is assisted by Shyam Madhavan Sharda, a writer and illustrator, and Muthamma Devaya, an activist for disability rights, who takes the programs to schools.
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