Writing for children comes with its own sets of challenges. Right from the story, which must be engaging enough for restless minds to stay focused on, to the illustrations that have to enhance the experience for the youngster. Every detail counts.
Ankhi Dasgupta, a Kolkata born educator, has kept all this in mind while writing a series of books for children in their early years titled, Read, Learn, Grow. The books, as we figured during their launch earlier this month at Oxford Bookstore, are replete with pictures and illustrations.
“The books have been designed,” says Ankhi, “to instill in pre-school children a love for reading.” No wonder then “learning” and “reading” were the themes of the release function held in the presence of a number of eminent guests who included former principal of Ankhi’s alma mater, V.B. Ghosh of Pratt Memorial School.
The books on display
Ankhi grew up in Kolkata and started working in the state before moving to Delhi and subsequently Noida, Uttar Pradesh, where she has been working with early years children since 2014.
Currently associated with a renowned school in Delhi NCR, she set the tone of the evening by introducing her book series. As of now, Read, Learn, Grow comprises The Beginners Series and The Vowel Series. “The Beginner’s Series not only caters to developing pre-reading skills of the child, but also aims to stimulate curiosity. Each book has a variety of engagement sheets that will help beginners move to the next level,” she said.
The title of the next series is self-explanatory. “Understanding the sound of the vowel is key to reading and writing in English. Words in English need vowels to break up the sounds that consonants make. So it’s important for children to be thorough with vowel sounds in order to be a fluent reader,” she said.
There are five books in this series, each dedicated to the sound of a vowel, and the many words they can be used in. “Engagement sheets that come with the books help the child develop foundational skills like listening, reading and counting,” she added.
Former Pratt Memorial School principal Ghosh congratulated Ankhi, her student of yore, for devoting her attention to pre-school children and writing books for them. “Behind every good student there is always a good teacher and each teacher has their unique method of teaching,” she said.
Author Ankhi Dasgupta signing a copy of her book for a young reader
Among the others present at the launch were Mousumi Saha, Principal of National English School; Pallabi Sengupta, HR professional and motivational speaker; and Biswabasu Biswas, actor and creator.
Both Ghosh and Saha also shared their thoughts on how the pattern of education is changing and how there was a need to relook and re-evaluate teaching methods.
Ankhi agreed and spoke of her motivations behind writing these books. “If we have to create a new batch of Gen Z learners, 21st Century educators, parents and all other stakeholders must incorporate the 6 ‘C’s of learning in their curriculum. These are communication, collaboration, critical thinking, character, creativity, citizenship,” she concluded.
The books can be ordered at: readlearngrowseries@gmail.com