I recently had the extraordinary good fortune to be invited to speak at the 2024 Neev Literature Festival in Bangalore, India (Sept. 27-29). Established in 2017 and inspired by the groundbreaking “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors” framework created by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, this event aims to “find and showcase great children’s books from and about Indian lives.” The Neev Book Award serves to “promote and encourage high-quality children’s literature from India”—this year’s winner was The Henna Start-Up by Andaleeb Wajid (Duckbill, Sept. 10)—and the festival’s Reading Challenge, which draws participants from schools worldwide, connects middle-grade readers with authors and books from India and beyond. 

The event, held on the campus of Neev Academy, drew authors, artists, agents, editors, librarians, educators, and publishers from across India and abroad as well as local school groups and families. The events included author readings and signings, storytelling and other performances, and informational sessions for all ages. The weekend’s programming was open to everyone, providing a uniquely enriching opportunity for people from these varied groups to learn and participate side by side, hearing one another’s perspectives.

During the pre-festival retreat for industry professionals, I gave a presentation on how to create a robust culture of reviewing young readers’ literature, something that kid lit advocates in India are pushing for, although the greater respect and attention given to works for adults poses an obstacle (one that is all too familiar outside India as well).  

Later, I taught a reviewing master class to a mixed group of young people and adults. We talked about the purpose, content, and structure of formal reviews (contrasting them with some unintentionally hilarious one-star Goodreads posts) and then read picture books and tried writing our own reviews. I was delighted by everyone’s enthusiasm and insights. 

From sessions and informal conversations, I glimpsed the challenges and opportunities facing the Indian children’s literature community, many echoing the U.S. situation. In a large, highly diverse country where hundreds of languages—beyond the 22 official ones—are spoken, whose voices are centered and whose are othered? Whose stories are not being told (for example, why are communities from the northeast largely present only in folktales)?

Festival attendees reported that foreign publishers often refuse to purchase rights to Indian books, saying they were either “too Indian” or “not Indian enough.” What does that say about how India is perceived abroad? Why not leap at the opportunity to share engaging, beautifully executed stories by Indian authors and illustrators—who have much to say about topics beyond food and holidays? Young Indian readers regularly enter the imaginations of the many British and American writers whose works are available here; why can’t Western children do the same with Indian books?

Just a few remarkable books to look for include the Dreamers series of illustrated chapter book biographies by Lavanya Karthik (one entry, The Girl Who Was a Forest: Janaki Ammal, is about a noted botanist), the fractured fairy tale climate fiction novel When Fairyland Lost Its Magic by Bijal Vachharajani, illustrated by Rajiv Eipe, and titles from nonprofit multilingual literacy organization Pratham Books, which has digital versions freely available online (check out Beauty Is Missing by Priya Kuriyan, a picture book mystery about a buffalo, and the wordless picture book Snip by Canato Jimo, in which siblings’ self-executed haircuts go awry). Readers also shouldn’t miss The Blue Horse and Other Amazing Animals From Indian History by Nandini Sen Gupta, which won the 2024 Sahitya Akademi Bal Puraskar literature award, and Neev Book Award shortlist titles Meera Mukherjee: Breaking Moulds by Vaishali Shroff, illustrated by Shivam Choudhary, an interactive, three-dimensional exploration of the artistic process, and Zen, an epic YA novel by Shabnam Minwalla.

Other topics that surfaced at the conference were the affordability of children’s books, parents’ perceptions of the value of books that are purely for fun, the differing priorities of large chain vs. independent bookstores, the need for governmental support of showcasing Indian children’s literature at international events (such as the Bologna Children’s Book Fair), fear of censorship and the question of recommended age ranges on children’s books, and the need for children’s books to support critical thinking for citizens of a democracy.

I learned a lot, made new friends, bought a ridiculous number of books to bring home, and, I hope, contributed something of value through my presence at Neev, which is an ambitious, inspiring event that does so much to foster connections among people who care about young readers and their books. I dearly wish that in the coming years, more titles by these talented and passionate creators will be available for children outside India to enjoy as well.

Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.