The market is awash with illustrated abridged classic works for children. With Indian and foreign publishers vying for a slice of the market, there is no dearth of choice for the children and parents who can go by their requirement and of course budget. Sanjeev Arora of Famous Book Store says, “The children not only want to read but also own the books to keep up with collection of their friends. With affordability on the rise, parents now do not mind spending and in fact many pick them up for birthday and return gifts.”
All the books have captioned illustrations and most are black and white though some are coloured too. They commonly feature a small write-up on the author, a glossary of difficult words, brief character sketch, pre- and post-reading activities and questions based on the story. The ones for tiny tots though, are much simpler.
Orange Education’s books (Rs.100) are in colour with questions at the end. “These are picked up by students as part of their holiday project/homework wherein they either have to answer the questions at the end or write a summary of the novel,” says Mukhtar, an old hand in the trade, showing “Oliver Twist”, “Kidnapped” and “Hunchback of Notre Dame” displayed on the shelf.
Pegasus Abridged Classics priced Rs.75 have various levels according to target age group, with activities listed at the end. Pointing out numerous titles available, like “David Copperfield”, “The Lost World” and “Swiss Family Robinson”, Hargobind, a Lajpat Nagar bookstore owner said , “These series are in great demand, especially with the boys picking up the adventure stories. The movie Around the world in 80 Days spurted a clamour for the book too.”
Hardbound Great Illustrated Classics at Rs.150 are adapted works with captioned illustrations and a note about the author. This collection boasts titles like “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, “The Red Badge of Courage” and “The House of the Seven Gables”. Gulabchand, selling books on the pavement in Vikaspuri points out, “They have some titles which are generally not printed by others and I get many customers for those.”
Priced at Rs.50, the Tiny Tot collection looks very pleasing, with bold print and lovely drawings. Obviously meant to focus the attention of small children, the series includes “Pride and Prejudice”, “David Copperfield” and “Great Expectations” among others. Available for the same age group are books from the attractive Hello Friend series at Rs.130, with colour illustrations.
There is a vast range of titles and genres to choose from — adventure, mystery, social drama, thriller and others. Prices range from Rs.50 to 200. According to Sanjeev, “The foreign versions are better packaged and being less expensive sell more than others.”
Savitri Swaminathan, HR Head in a private company with her nine-year-old daughter in tow is busy browsing the books in Connaught Place. “I have been purchasing the abridged versions for her to inculcate the reading habit with the hope that she will graduate to the original on growing up,” she says adding, “Though my child reads on her own, she reaches out to me when confronted with difficult words or context.”
