Tata Trusts’ Parag Initiative Announces Parag Honours List 2022

Tata Trusts’ Parag Initiative Announces Parag Honours List 2022
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India: Parag Initiative of Tata Trusts today announced the 3rd edition of the Parag Honour List for the year 2022. This robust list features a wide range of original writings across categories like picture books, chapter books, and young adult books. With a focus on curating a comprehensive collection of remarkable literature in English and in Hindi, the list aims to promote access to good quality children’s literature that librarians, teachers, parents and children can refer to and read.

The Parag Initiative of Tata Trusts believes in the transformative power of reading for pleasure and works to ensure that children across India can appreciate and enjoy reading in diverse regional languages. The work of Parag spans over sourcing, publishing, disseminating and promoting good quality children's literature in India. Over the years, Parag has catalysed the children's literature ecosystem towards encouraging joyful reading. This year, Parag received books from 23 Indian publishers, published between October, 2020 to September, 2021 with over 200 entries, 38 of which were in English and 9 books Hindi across genres we selected.

Amrita Patwardhan, Head of Education at Tata Trusts, shared her views on the initiative, she said, “With the number of books being published for children on the rise, it is important to help readers including librarians and parents with recommendations of good books. The Parag Honour List is a first of its kind effort in India, of an annual independently curated list of noteworthy books published in Hindi and English across genre and age-groups. An Independent jury with a deep understanding of children’s literature reviews a number of entries and curates PHL.”

As part of the criteria for creating the Parag Honour List, all leading publishers of children’s books are requested to submit their select titles for review. In turn the books are reviewed by a panel of eminent educationists and bibliophiles, with the very best finding their way to the Parag Honour List.

The jury for the English language category comprised of Anita Balasubramanian, co-founder of The Learning Network, Jeeva Raghunath, Author and Storyteller; and Manjiri Nimbkar, Author, Illustrator and Medical Doctor

Speaking on the book list Manjiri said, “This effort by Parag to curate the best books through a rigorous exploration is a truly laudable undertaking. The books in this list handle diverse topics and are beautifully crafted. Some are funny and entertaining while others handle delicate issues very sensitively while still others introduce the reader to the life's work of contemporary heroes."

Esteemed members of the jury in the Hindi language category were Arun Kamal, Poet and Essayist, Gurbachan Singh, Executive Editor of Azim Premji University’s - Paathshaala Bhitar Aur Bahar and Prachi Kalra, Associate Professor, Gargi College, Delhi University. 

Prachi Kalra added, “The Parag Honour List is about the pleasure of binge reading! Just drown yourself in the best books.

HINDI BOOKS FEATURED IN THE PARAG HONOUR LIST 2022

BOOK

AUTHOR

PUBLISHER

Lightning

Prabhat

Jugnoo Prakashan

Betiyaan bhi chahein Azaadi

Kamla Bhasin

Pratham Books

Machhali Nadi Kholke Baithi

Sushil Shukla

Eklavya

Ye Sara Ujala Suraj Ka

Sushil Shukla

Eklavya

Basti mein Baadh

Maya Yadavan, Neha Patel, Tinam Nishad, Pooja Singh

Shaheed School

Bees Kachodi Poodhi Tees

Shriprasad

Jugnoo Prakashan

Kerala ke Kele

Prayag Shukla

Jugnoo Prakashan

Ek Kahani

Vinod Kumar Shukla

Jugnoo Prakashan

Gyarah Rupaya ka Fountain Pen

Amit Datta

Jugnoo Prakashan

 

ENGLISH BOOKS FEATURED IN THE PARAG HONOUR LIST 2022

BOOK

AUTHOR

PUBLISHER

Animal Alphabet

Manjula Padmanabhan

Tulika Publishers

Asamo, is that You?

Canato Jimo and Ogin Nayam

Pratham Books

How I Feel

Varsha Seshan

Pratham Books

Ikru's First Day of School

Sunaina Coehlo

Pratham Books

Jamlo Walks

Samina Mishra

Puffin Books, Penguin Random House India

Our World Hamari Duniya

Sandhya Rao

Jugnoo Prakashan

Sometimes Mama, Sometimes Papa

Nandini Nayar

Puffin Books, Penguin Random House India

The Grand Chapati Contest

Asha Nehemiah

Duckbill, Penguin Random House India

This is Where We Live

Manjari Chakravarti

Pratham Books

Tiger, Tiger, Where Are You?

Mujahid Khan

Pratham Books

When Adil Speaks, Words Dance

Lavanya Karthik

Puffin Books, Penguin Random House India

Who's Next?

Mini Shrinivasan

Eklavya

Home

Author Fausto Aarya De Santis

Pratham Books

Coming Home

Priti David

Karadi Tales in partnership with PARI

Kashmir! Kashmir!

Deepa Agarwal

Scholastic India

My Name is Gulab

Sagar Kolwankar

Tulika Publishers

No Nonsense Nandhini

Aparna Karthikeyan

Karadi Tales in partnership with PARI

Noon Chai and a Story

Adithi Rao

Tulika Publishers

That Night

Bijal Vachharajani

Pratham Books

Have You Met the Parsis?

Anastasia Damani

Puffin Books, Penguin Random House India

Hop On: My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes

Ruskin Bond

Talking Cub, Speaking Tiger Books

Nature Society Series - Maharashtra, Odisha, Lakshadweep and Rajasthan

Yemuna Sunny

Eklavya

The Boy Who Played with Light - Satyajit Ray

Lavanya Karthik

Duckbill, Penguin Random House India

The Grass Seeker

Uddalak Gupta

Pratham Books

The Secret World of Mehlli Gobhai: The Man Who Found Art Everywhere

Jerry Pinto

Pratham Books

Bena's Summer

Shibal Bhartiya

HarperCollins Publishers India

Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame

Supriya Kelkar

Scholastic India

The Blue Horse and Other Amazing Animals from Indian History

Nandini Sengupta

Hachette India

The Teenage Diary of Abbakka - The Warrior Queen of South India

Kavitha Mandana

Talking Cub, Speaking Tiger Books

10 Indian Heroes Who Help People Live with Dignity

Somak Ghosal

Duckbill, Penguin Random House India

A Germ of an Idea

Charudatta Navare

Eklavya

Gods, Giants and the Geography of India

Nalini Ramachandran

Hachette India

How to be a Writer

Ruskin Bond

HarperCollins Publishers India

Postbox Kashmir: Two Lives in Letters

Divya Arya

Duckbill, Penguin Random House India

Queen of Fire

Devika Rangachari

Duckbill, Penguin Random House India