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KATHA, a New Delhi-based non-profit publishing house, released two new children’s books The Famous Smile and Kaleh and the Singsong Castle in the capital. The books deal with nature and conservation. Releasing the books, chief guest Mike Pandey, a renowned conservationist, said the books were an attempt to highlight to importance of reading "especially in times when the television is soaking up attention of our children. Reading is so very important in our day and age. Computer programmes can come and go but books remain forever. They help build up social responsibility and are instrumental in teaching a child love and harmony," Pandey said. The Famous Smile, written by Katha’s founder and Executive Director Geeta Dharmarajan, and illustrated by Iranian Rashin Kheiriyeh, tells the story of crocodile Agar Magar’s sparkling, shiny teeth and famous smile. The book promotes dental hygiene awareness among children. Kaleh and the Singsong Castle, written by Rizio Yohannan Raj with illustrations by Anahita Taymourian, narrates the story of Kaleh, the quirky crow who loves to sing. The two books have also won Katha’s Chitrakala award for their colourful and intelligent illustrations. The books were released in a colourful event attended by more than 200 children from various schools, NGOs and private schools across the capital. "Most publishers like to spend on high-profile book launches aimed at adults, which can get them a lot of publicity,"explained Katha’s children’s editor Yasmin Rahman. "There have an event and books for children and the main chunk of guests are children. It gives them a common platform to share their reading lists and helps us know what the children are reading right now. We get immediate feedback," Rahman said. Renowned storyteller Nupur Awasthi hosted the event with "interactive and lyrical presentation of both the books" which included book-reading sessions. "Katha books lend themselves very well to storytelling with their beautiful illustrations. This is just one of its endeavours to keep India’s aural tradition alive; it also provides free storytelling sessions in schools and communities," she said. The launch was innovatively staged with stimulating activities for children based on the themes of the books, which helped link reading to real life experiences. In keeping with the theme of them The Famous Smile, children took part in a dental hygiene quiz and the best smile competition. The winners were given old-fashioned neem twigs. A limerick writing session accompanied by a musical and dramatic performance saw Kaleh and the Sing Song Castle leap to life. There was something for parents as well: They wrote their own endings to the story. Children drew Kaleh the crow and Agar Magar the crocodile. Well-known children’s illustrator Vandana Bist gave away the prizes to the best artists. "The way the books were presented and the way the stories were told were very children-friendly. There was a high level of interaction from children, who were clearly enjoying themselves. They were lost in their own world. It was a great success," Pandey said. — IANS
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