On the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day 2023 we asked children across schools in Kolkata what their favourite book is and why… read on to find out the titles that top the list.
But before we get to that, in the world of international literature, 23 April is a significant day. On this date, coincidentally, the world lost quite a few well-known authors through the years, including William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. While this may not be an occasion to rejoice otherwise, in the UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, it was decided that this day would be going forward, be marked as a day to pay tribute to the great authors, to literature and to books, encouraging everyone to access literature.
And now let's get to the bookworms of the city!
Akshita Singh, DPS New Town
Speaking about her favourite book, Akshita says, 'Markus Zusak in his book, The Book Thief' has removed Death's dark cloak and scythe clothing her instead with feeling and intellect to narrate a compelling story. The story is poetic, sad, beautiful and everything I'd want there to be in a story about two young adults in an era of disasters. The book has made me feel emotions I never knew I was capable of feeling and hence emerged as my all-time favourite.'
Samriddhi, DPS Megacity
Samriddhi feels that the book.. 'is raw, riveting, achingly beautiful, a whirlwind of tragedy, love and loss. The most heartbreaking story of carnage, she has ever come across.'
Ayushi Chandra from Vivekananda Mission School
This is a favourite book of Ayushi because, in her words, it is an incredible story of resilience and bravery during the time of the Holocaust. It makes me wonder how I would deal with life if I was in similar circumstances.
Navoneer Bhattacharyya from Birla High School
Navoneer enjoys reading The Complete Illustrated Work of Lewis Caroll. When asked why he like this book, he said, 'Lewis Carroll once said that “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” And I find the exact reflection of these lines in his writings. This book is the collection of all his masterpieces like my all-time favourites Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, poems like The Hunting of the Snark, The Crocodile, and Jabberwocky where he used funny words like “frumious”'.
Nayanika Dutta from DPS Ruby Park
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is the favourite book of Nayanika. 'As narrated by Death itself for the book thief every book is a medicine that heals all her wounds and that's what I enjoyed reading about the most', said Nayanika.
Mandir Dutta from DPS Ruby Park
When beads of murder, law, romance and detective work are put on a single thread it becomes a perfect leisure partner ~ that's how Mandir describes her favourite book.
Pratyusha Gupta from Lakshmipat Singhania Academy
For Pratyusha, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is one of the best classic gothic novels of the 19th century. It explores and studies various themes such as superficiality, narcissism, callousness, hedonism, and self-centred pleasure.
