Writing for children is not an easy task. Children's Books have a real vocation: they bring hope, arouse questions and are not only intended for young readers. This is what the renowned writers Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan and Savie Karnel underlined during a debate led by Parimala Kulkarni, professor at Osmania University last Saturday.
Faced with an audience made up of authors, teachers, children and their parents, on the second day of the Hyderabad Literary Festival, these award -winning authors addressed their art.
For Ms. Tharoor, “what children read shapes their adult personality.” Books not only arouse hope, but also stimulate curiosity and learning through different ages, whether through phonetics, language, rhythm or openness to the world. The writer and voice-over artist shared her love of words and language.
For her part, Ms. Karnel insisted that writing for children is not unthinkable, but that requires an adjustment, because the experiences of adults differ from those of young people.
“I lose my adult identity to become the child I was, then I plunge back into my memories to write,” she said, explaining that she draws from her journalistic experience to enrich her narrations. She cited one of her singular works, 'The Nameless God', which addresses themes of secularism and intersections between beliefs.
-The two authors have agreed to the importance of the themes chosen. Although publishers and the market often do not require thematic variations, frequent requests include short stories, rewritings of classics and characters adapted to different ages.
When they answered questions from the public, a new emerging threat has been identified. The competition is not limited to other books.
“Children's books are now competing with streaming platforms and video games, while our entertainment was based on reading, crossword and poetry,” they stressed.
Published – January 25, 2025 at 8:07 p.m.
