Books build bridges

Books are gateways to imagination, learning, and possibility. Yet for many children in India, especially those in rural and underserved communities, access to quality children’s literature remains limited. Libraries in schools and communities often become their only window into the world of imagination.

The Parag initiative of the Tata Trusts has been working to address these systemic gaps by strengthening the children’s literature ecosystem in India. It supports the development and availability of high-quality books in Indian languages, while enabling school and community libraries to become inclusive spaces that encourage reading for learning and pleasure.

Parag also focuses on building the capacities of educators, librarians, and facilitators to meaningfully engage children with literature, and works closely with authors, illustrators, publishers, and sector partners to nurture the sector. Through its programmes, courses, and awards, Parag continues to expand access to books and foster a culture of reading, ensuring that more children can experience the transformative power of stories.

Parag Honour List 2025

An initiative of the Tata Trusts, the Parag Honour List is developed through a rigorous review process by experts in children’s literature. It serves as a trusted resource for librarians, educators, parents, and young readers, promoting access to high-quality books and encouraging meaningful reading experiences.

The Parag Honour List 2025 is an annual curated selection of outstanding books in English and Hindi for children and young readers.

Parag-IBBY India on the global stage | Highlights 2025

Parag has been the India Chapter of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) since January 2024. Building on over two decades of sectoral work, this association strengthens Parag’s role in nurturing India’s children’s literature ecosystem through engagement with a global network spanning over 80 countries.

Considering Parag’s role as a sector builder for over twenty years, the IBBY platform and its network of 80+ countries, is beneficial to nurture the Indian children’s literature ecosystem further through global sharing, inwardly and outwardly, by including various stakeholders. In 2025, Parag actively engaged as IBBY India in three broad ways: Participating, disseminating; and cross-sharing and supporting other IBBY chapters.

Global Recognition for Inclusive Reading

Dr Namita Jacob, Director of Chetana Trust, nominated by Parag IBBY India, has been named one of the winners of the IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award 2026. The award was announced at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, recognising her pioneering work in making reading accessible to children with diverse needs through books in accessible formats, building a more inclusive world.

This marks the first time India has received this honour in the Outstanding Reading Promoter category.

Parag-IBBY India played a convening role by nominating Muskaan for the IBBY Yamada Fund 2025 for the project ‘Nurturing Critical Literacy through Literature in Indigenous Children’. It was selected by the IBBY Executive Committee as one of the recipients of the Fund.

For the project, Muskaan conducted sessions with approximately 100 children from the Muskaan school, as well as children in community libraries and villages, engaging around themes such as war, gender and caste. Additionally, Muskaan organised two open workshops for individuals interested in library work, further extending the reach and impact of the project.

Dr Shailaja Menon’s selection as one of the ten jury members for the Hans Christian Andersen Award (HCAA) 2026 marked a significant moment for India’s children’s literature sector. Her being on the jury brings home a learning about diverse writings and illustrations from a network of 84 countries.

Global Engagements: IBBY Regional Conference 2025, Asia Pacific

Parag’s participation in international forums strengthened its global engagement and knowledge exchange. At the IBBY Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Seoul, the team engaged with global practitioners around themes such as sustainability and children’s literature, while also showcasing Indian books and perspectives.

Parag enabled access to global platforms such as the BolognaRagazzi Awards and the Nami Concours, encouraging Indian creators to engage internationally. In 2025, Indian titles received recognition at Bologna, with ‘Art is a Voice’, also a Parag Honour List 2025 book winning in the Sustainability Special Category and ‘Cutpiece Kumar, a collaboration between Eklavya and Parag featured in the BRAW Amazing Bookshelf.

The Nami Concours further opened avenues for illustrators to showcase their work globally. Engagements with countries such as Russia extended India’s storytelling traditions through workshops and cross-cultural exchanges.

At Parag Utsav 2025, ‘Aada Paada’ written by Sushil Shukla, illustrated by Atanu Roy and published by Eklavya Foundation received Parag’s first ever Children’s Choice Award (PCCA).

At Parag Utsav 2025, Priyamvad (Parag Author Prize 2025), Rishi Sahany (Parag Illustrator Prize 2025) and Taposhi Ghoshal (Parag Significant Contribution Award 2025) were felicitated, followed by the launch of the PHL 2025, a curated list of 61 titles, 33 in English and 28 in Hindi.

Prof Krishna Kumar delivered the keynote address at Parag Utsav 2025. Recounting from a lifetime of observations and experiences, he spoke of childhood, role of children literature, and the status of publishing for children.

For nurturing library practitioners, Parag conceptualised the Library Educator’s Course (LEC) and has been offering the course since 2014. So far, there are 330 LEC alumni. The 10th batch of LEC graduated in 2025.

In 2025, the second edition of ‘More than Words: A Masterclass for Illustrators to Create Wordless Narratives’ took place. Over two editions, 43 illustrators have been mentored by senior illustrators, and selected stories in the pipeline for publication. We hope that in future editions, illustrators from other IBBY National Sections will join in for participation.

A guest explores the Parag Collab Art Wall — a showcase of children’s imaginations and aspirations created through a collaboration supported by Parag, an initiative of Tata Trusts. Children were encouraged to sketch the futures they hope to build. Some of these heartfelt expressions were showcased at the Nobel Prize Dialogue India 2025 held at Bengaluru.