On 2 February, World Read Aloud Day (WRAD), a group of children’s book clubs and libraries all across India began a month-long programme on social media, reading books on the environment for children. Tagged #greenreads, this initiative is the brainchild of Archana Atri, who revolutionised children’s book clubs in India with AA’s Book Nerds, one of the earliest individual-led initiatives…
By Archana Natraj With melting glaciers, forest fires, typhoons, epic floods and vanishing species all around us, the climate emergency is right here. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, the teenager climate activist from Sweden, young people around the world are raising their voices on a broad spectrum of issues related to the crisis. India is no exception. Over the past few…
By Archana Natraj Remember your last unsettling close encounter with a bug? Frantic moments of sweeping it down from clothing, shaking it off your head, or standing transfixed in terror at a tiny, hairy, wriggly creature, as you debate whether to squash it or bolt. The fear of bugs, extended to include several terrestrial arthropods, is rampant. Even ancient Egyptians…
By JoAnne Saldanha Ophidiophobia or fear of snakes, is one of the most commonly reported phobias in the world. Feared and despised, snakes have usually been maligned in popular culture. Unfortunately, children’s literature has largely fed into this fear. The pet of evil Lord Voldemort ‘he who must not be named’… the symbol of Slytherin – a house that never…
Apart from its on-the-ground conservation projects, the Pune-based Environmental Action Group Kalpavriksh has been publishing thought-provoking environmental literature since the 1980s, including what may well be India’s first graphic novel that came about following a 50-day trek along the river Narmada in 1983. They also have a vibrant and award-winning catalogue of children’s literature on the environment. In an email interview with Meghaa…
By Archana Natraj “Bow your head. Show them respect. The elephants created this jungle. Where they made furrows with their tusks the rivers ran. Where they blew with their trunks the leaves fell. They made all,” ~ Bagheera in The Jungle Book. Elephants have an inscrutable appeal to humans, and children’s literature has a special place for them. From Ashok…