There are stories that come alive
AMRITA TALWAR
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A good illustration can enhance a story.
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VIVID AND VIBRANT: Illustrations in children's books
Good quality pictures are guiding the children's book industry these days. For catching the attention of young readers, Indian publishers are now investing in sophisticated illustrations.
In 2007, Katha is publishing nearly 20 titles for teenagers and 15 well-illustrated picture books. To name just a few titles, "Pokiri Parrot and the Magic Pearl", "The Famous Smile" and "Crow and the Fox". For Katha, illustrations are as important as the story. Versatility is the touchstone of an illustrator, says Katha's Managing Editor Rizio Yohannan Raj. "At Katha, we ensure that an illustrator shares the same space as the author. We look for lively images for our children's books. Some artists have a static style, which may not suit most children's storybooks."
Wisdom Tree, from six books a year is now creating 20 picture books for pre-schoolers and teenagers. "Cheap imports in children's book dominated the market for a long time but now we are trying to change that by producing good quality Indian picture books."
Wisdom Tree for the first time has introduced illustrations in their young adult series. The books are; "Adventures of Nikki: An Endless Journey" by G.S. Dutt, Ranjit Lal's "Red Jaguar and Hanuman." "We did a little survey in schools, spoke to children and parents, the majority wanted illustrations which prompted us to create pictures in the series," says Shobit. He feels that illustrations influence a buyer's choice. "There are so many children's book available on mythology — Krishna, Hanuman, and Panchatantra. According to veteran illustrator and writer Vandana Bisht who has spent 22 years in the industry, a revival of picture books is the main reason for the boom. "Picture books are more challenging and offer illustrators a chance to prove their creativity. Publishers too have started realising that illustrations enhance the text. If you are a good illustrator there is loads of work and a heavy pay packet too. Subir Roy of Children Book Trust (CBT) feels that children have greater exposure to the world these days. "A child is exposed to 90-odd television channels. If the book is not at par with them, it simply does not sell. Dry text can be pepped up with illustrations."
Classic and contemporary
Penguin's children's' book arm Puffin is also concentrating on a solid and fast-growing list of illustrated picture books, folk tales, fables, stories from mythology, contemporary stories, mysteries and novels as well as books on history, science and people. This year they are bringing out forty titles for children. According to Puffin's Editor Vatsala Kaul, "We emphasise on innovation and creativity, often matching `classical' text with a contemporary style, and experimenting with different styles for our readers. For instance, one of our recent books "Living Next Door to Alise", the adventures of a boy and a baby elephant by Anita Nair for the eight plus age group is delightfully illustrated." The year 2007 will indeed see illustrations dominating the text.
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