Welcome to Tulika's archives — to a library of our thoughts and ideas and opinions and reflections on
writing for children, and their reading in general, compiled in articles or in papers presented at various
forums. We would be pleased to have your responses to these, comments on our books or anything
you'd like to share. Write to us at tulikabooks@vsnl.com. 
 

 Books to delight in
Tulika has been a pioneer in the filed of original children's publishing. Radhika Menon talks to
mindfelds: the journal about ideas and learning, on Tulika's journey..
.

 Up front and captive: Randomly Reading to Children
Children know a lot more, want a lot more and are willing to understand many more complexities
than we give them credit for...

 The Same Old Story? Or is there something to cheer about?
Indian writers from around the globe are telling varied stories with identifiable contexts. But there
is the constant challenge to give them not only what they want but what they don't have...

 Creativity, Diversity and Readership: Independent Publishing for Children  
In a globalised world, is there a space for a vibrant, multilingual, culturally-rooted body of
children’s literature? An overview celebrating those publishers who have bucked popular trends
and stayed the course to come up with books that are socially inclusive and financially viable...

 ‘We have a democratic space’
Radhika Menon looks back...on growing pains, finding a niche and growing with Tulika in a chat
with Sudhanva Deshpande of Leftword Books...

 Against Borders: Children's books in Malayalam  
The contradictions inherent in children's publishing in Malayalam point to the need to fight
orthodoxy, to use English and Indian languages in ways that give children a reading experience
that traverses the familiar and the unfamiliar. And who says they don't respond to the unfamiliar?...
 

 Not Once Upon a Time – Narratives for Children 
When we know that our children can and do engage with the complexities of our oral narratives,
why, do we offer them trivialised texts in our books for them?...
 

 What is Quality? Promoting Excellence in Children's Books
Who sets the standards, and can there be any one fair set of standards to judge excellence in
form and content in books for children, especially in a multicultural context?...
 

 Main characteristics, main challenges, main perspectives for the future
While globalisation has led to an unprecedented publishing boom in the Indian market, there is
a real danger of books being seen primarily as 'products'...
 

 Questioning Cultural Stereotypes Through Children's Books
The focus on multicultural publishing has not quite translated into authentic and inclusive literature
from all cultures. Who sets the parameters for multiculturalism?...
 

 Why Bilingual Books?
Stemming from a need to nurture the mother tongue, especially in cultures and situations where
they are threatened by a language of power, bilingual publishing for children seeks to preserve
the one while accepting the other...
 

 From Longstrump to Lambemoze: Some things that happened along the way
Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren's classic Pippi Longstrump created a storm of controversy when
first published in Sweden, but went on to become one of the most enduring and widely translated
books in children's literature. The story behind its Hindi translation...
 

 Storytelling to Promote Picture books
Exploring the connections between storytelling and visuals — and how storytelling promotes not
merely picture books but in a general sense reading through picture books, so that it culminates
in a love of reading books for life...
 

 The Devil at the Door: or the editor in other words 
'Commas and full-stops' or 'the fine space' between writer and reader? A straight-from-the-heart
look at what sits behind the editorial desk — and in the drawers!...
 

 Children's Literature in India: Growing Pains
Does the literary scene for children in India today swing between Harry Potter and monotonous
parroting of the epics and folktales? A look at the history and growth of children's publishing in
the country, and the need for some clear, critical thinking of the way ahead...
 

 Seminar on education and children's books in India
Tulika recently conducted a seminar on education and children's publishing in India along with
the Centre for South Asia, University of Wisconsin, USA. A quick look at ideas shared...
 

Storytelling: using it to empower children
The freedom to recreate a story and its characters in a way that is more meaningful to oneself is a right every child must have. Some useful pointers on how to tell stories...

 Multiculturalism and Political Correctness in Children's Books: A View from India
With so little study of children's literature in India, we often first look to the West for models of
multiculturalism and political correctness before we realise that, no, the same systems and
standards don't quite apply here....

 Are There Taboos in Children's Literature?
If the question means do taboos exist in children's literature, then yes they do. If the question
is should there be taboos in children's literature, then the answer is a definite no...

An Overview of Indian Children's Literature in English
Didactic literature to instill noble ideals, or an arena in which children and adults can engage in various kinds of shared and dynamic discourse? For an overview of children's literature in India, it is essential to understand and analyse this huge gap in perception...

 Do Children Read Anymore? Some Do and More Will If You Care
Good, bad, indifferent, that's a question of discernment. But when bookshops are flooded with
imported and indigenous books, why are children not reading?...

 Children's Books and Their Reading
Reading is usually associated with improving vocabulary, writing skills and general knowledge.
What seems to be missing is the understanding and awareness that books have a much larger
and vital role to play...

 Symbiosis Between the Creator of Children's Books and the Reader
We need to bridge the gap between adults responsible for selecting and providing books and
children, the actual users — tackle adult attitudes to children's reading... 

 When No Way is No Way: translating for children
Grappling with the uniqueness of each language, learning them, tackling constraints of layout
battling Murphy's law and negotiating with stubborn translators and purists who say no way...
Ways have to be found to make it easy for children to receive 'other' experiences...
 

 Sharing Spaces: thoughts on translating for Children
To translate it's not enough to simply render a story or piece of writing from one language into
another. You must love language, be moved by ideas and tell it like it matters, so children find
themselves in all kinds of books from all kinds of cultures...
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 Quickfix Culture for Kids: Not the Best Diet
Comments on a comic-book series on India's classical heritage that loses out on the light and
shade, the multilayered philosophical connotations...

 Reflections on Schooling

Can schooling measure children's successes rather than failures? A look at the hostile
circumstances and the creative ways in which so many make education inclusive and relevant...

 Not Funny
Do parents, teachers or librarians who buy books for children look closely enough at what often
passes off as books for children?...

Why Picture Books? The skills acquired while reading picture books contribute to the long-term growth of a reader...
Reading is Power: But what happens if you are a girl? What is it about reading literacy that is so empowering? Given the traditional gender bias, do girls find themselves in the books they read?...
Invent As You Play: Learning how to translate for children Learning on the job – writing, translating, editing, publishing – made us rethink cast iron theories and find creative approaches to tackle the little and big challenges of translating for children...
Meeting Chiedza Musengezi A conversation about children's books, language and identity with the well-known Zimbabwean writer reveals shared problems and strengths...
Reporting from Harare Gardens, Zimbabwe... An introduction to the ways and wiles of international book fairs... A Tulika editor tells it like it is...
In my own voice: Who Needs Words? Names originating in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, are increasingly being seen on covers of books published in the US and UK as well. Obviously, something is happening . . . An overview of children's literature in South Asia...
Children's Book Publishing: Sharing Ideas and Experiences What sort of books should be written for children? Are they reading enough? And the right books? Are the books themselves 'alright'? How much should they cost? So much has been analysed and discussed that quite often the wood is missed for the trees...