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Goodbooks is a repository for Indian children’s books and provides a space to all those engaged with children to enter the fascinating discourse on children’s literature. It is where educators, parents, librarians and research scholars get an overview of children’s literature in India, and an update of books being published across the country. The reviews on the site critically evaluate books, enhancing the understanding of what constitutes good children’s books and creating awareness about the role of books and reading in a child’s life.
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SNAPSHOT REVIEWS
Quick reviews of Indian children’s books for reading in under five minutes
THE GRAND STORY OF IKLI CHOKLI
A little chokli, a stray puppy, wanders into a muddy rain puddle one day… From then on, he can’t...
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THE LIES WE TELL
Seventeen-year-old Irfan Ahmed is handsome, easy-going and deeply in love with his girlfriend...
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BEHIND THE LIE
Valli and Ramesh live under a cloud of fear because of their father who has a frightening...
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AMBADAS’ DANCING BRUSH
Ambadas Khobragade felt utterly free while doodling and painting. His Dancing Brush made time...
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QUTB MINAR: HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
On Christmas Day, a group of six children visit the Qutb Minar in Delhi. What follows is a...
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SUSIE WILL NOT SPEAK
Jahan’s best friend Susie speaks with a lisp. Kids at school laugh at her and the boys in the...
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THE MANIC PANIC
How can a family survive when the internet goes down? Clearly the parents have no solution...
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THE DISAPPEARING BEACH AND OTHER NATURE STORIES
Can a smelly monster threaten a town? Or tiny creatures organise a river clean-up? Polythene...
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KOKI’S SONG
Ruskin Bond had his first short story published when he had just left school. Two years later...
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LONG REVIEWS
Detailed reviews of Indian children’s books for reading in under ten minutes (750+ words)
CRICKET CHANGED MY LIFE
The cliche goes that in India cricket is more than a passion, it is a religion. Thousands or...
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MONKEYS ON A FAST
Monkeys on a Fast is a fun, chuckle-inducing story adapted from a Buddhist fable. Chakrapani...
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GONE GRANDMOTHER
A very welcome change in children’s books in recent times is the emergence of themes like loss...
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GAJAPATI KULAPATI GURRBURRRROOOM!
The Gajapati Kulapati stories by Ashok Rajagopalan have become quite a favourite among picture...
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THE BOY WHO SWALLOWED A NAIL AND OTHER STORIES
Children’s book publishers are constantly trawling the slush piles in search of fresh, original...
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TALES FROM BENGAL
Folktales, epic narratives and legends connect people to their land, to an identity and to each...
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UMA, NOT-SO-PERFECT
Uma, Not-So-Perfect. A perfectly captivating title, calculated to raise a lot of expectations...
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RADHA’S FAMILY
Since Madhuri Purandare won the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2014 for her...
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Features, book lists, information on forthcoming and new releases and more
GOOD PICKS FROM GOODBOOKS – 12 AUGUST 2019
This week we bring you some uplifting stories about people who are committed to transforming communities, cultures and spaces around reading. For starters, have a look at...
READ MORE GOOD PICKS FROM GOODBOOKS – 5 AUGUST 2019
We’ve been away all of July, but as always the world of kidlit has been anything but quiet. From over the last few weeks, here are a few excellent reads for you. On the...
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FORTHCOMING/NEW BOOKS AUGUST 2019
YOUNGER READERS (0-7 years) My Grandfather’s Eyebrows Author: Mamta Nainy and Arthy Muthanna Singh Illustrator: Shreya Sen Language: English Category: Fiction Publisher...
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YOUNG READERS (0-7 YEARS) Ammama’s Sari Author: Niveditha Subramaniam Illustrator: Niveditha Subramaniam Language: English Category: Fiction Publisher: Tulika Price...
READ MORE GOOD PICKS FROM GOODBOOKS – 27 JUNE 2019
We open this week’s round-up with a deeply thought-provoking and relevant piece by Leo Benedictus in The Guardian. While it in no way refers directly to the Indian...
READ MORE GOOD PICKS FROM GOODBOOKS – 24 JUNE 2019
This week we’ve curated a set of conversations with some of our favourite writers and illustrators: From The Hindu, here’s a lovely piece about Zai Whitaker’s latest book...
READ MORE GOOD PICKS FROM GOODBOOKS – 7 JUNE 2019
In this week’s roundup, we have some thoughts for you about libraries. First off, here’s a couple of thought-provoking pieces from the latest issue of Torchlight. Khushbu...
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YOUNG READERS (0-7 years) Malli is Coming About the Book Malli gave her uncle’s family many things when they came to her village. Now, she is coming to the city. Will they...
READ MORE GOODPICKS FROM GOODBOOKS – 30 MAY 2019
Award-winning author Venita Coelho’s latest book came out just this month, and we’ve already gotten our hands on a copy! In this piece in a local Goa newspaper, the...
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The Hindu and Goodbooks announce The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Awards 2019 for Indian children’s books. The purpose of these awards is to promote excellence in children’s writing and illustration in India and to acknowledge innovative publishing trends. The awards are the first in India to recognize different genres in children’s publishing and to reward authors and illustrators for their invaluable contribution. The awards, which are being given for the fourth consecutive year, were presented at The Hindu Lit for Life fest in Chennai in January 2019.
