Because it was very hot in Vikram Seth’s house one day and he could not concentrate on work, he decided to write a summer story involving mangoes and a river. Thus was born his most loved collection of animal fables in verse, Beastly Tales From Here and There . The hard-bound volume, prettily illustrated by Prabha Mallya, is one of the choicest picks at the children’s book fair on at the H&C showroom on DH Road.
From verse to prose, cartoons and fables to mythology and mystery, the fair puts together a good collection of books for the summer reading list. Among the most popular are Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Geronimo Stilton, the store assistant informs . Rows of them line the shelves along with voluminous editions of classics, comics and fairy tales.
“This is the best time to hold such an exhibition as vacations have just begun. We have brought in books from all our other stores in Ernakulam,” says T.I. Simri, Managing Partner of H&C.
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Though the age bracket has not been clearly defined, it seems to range from kindergarten to high school. A wide variety of elaborately designed art books (sketch and colouring) and the sing-along read-along category are available, too. For the teens, well, the chills and thrills of vampire life and the good old romances await. Academics being its forte, H&C has not fallen short of expectations. Plenty of choice awaits in the ‘educational’ segment—dictionaries, encyclopaedia, introduction to English, and science for beginners.
The fair has brought together popular publishing houses. H&C’s own series for children (mostly falling into the low-budget category) in Malayalam, also forms a section of the exhibit. These slim, colourful booklets cover subjects such as history, fables, folk tales, magic, recipes, songs and jokes. Care has been taken in including story books in Malayalam and Hindi, too.
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The fair offers a 10 per cent discount on books and is on till April 30. However, depending on demand and the availability of books, it could be extended.