Before they became storytellers themselves, children's authors were readers who lost themselves in magical forests, school adventures, comic strips and timeless classics. From Enid Blyton and RK Narayan to Tintin, Asterix, Ruskin Bond and Richmal Crompton, writers and their writings shaped their imagination and worldview. They look back at the stories that first sparked a lifelong love of reading and storytelling.
CG Salamander on Comics and Fantasy
CG Salamander, author of 'Maithili and the Minotaur' (Penguin Random House), recalls reading a lot of Asterix and Obelix and Tintin growing up. "There was always something comforting about joining familiar characters on new adventures. These books were also my first introduction to comics, and I was endlessly fascinated with how much one could do with the comic format. But more than anything, they brought me pure joy," he says. He still remembers panels where Captain Haddock is constantly spat on by an assortment of llamas. His school also had a lot of Goosebumps, which he would race through during library period (the books couldn't be borrowed). He loves the Discworld series, especially the Rincewind and the Watch novels, and was mesmerised by 'Haroon and the Sea of Stories'. As an adult, he is obsessed with One Piece and the world building, the effortlessness of the Gajapati Kulapati books, and the way One Punch Man subverts his favourite tropes.
Gayathri Ponvannan on Classics and Modern Tales
Gayathri Ponvannan, author of 'The Vaidyar's School of Medicine and Magic' (Penguin Random House), says some of her earliest favourites were children's classics like 'Little Women', 'Heidi' and 'Alice in Wonderland'. She still has her first Penguin Classics copies lined up on her bookshelves. She also loved reading Enid Blyton, RK Narayan and Ruskin Bond. More recently, she has enjoyed the Penderwicks series, which feels like a cool, modern take on 'Little Women'. "I think one of the best things about being a children's author is that you can keep re-reading your old favourites, because it all counts as research and inspiration!" she adds.
Preetha Leela Chockalingam on Humour and History
Preetha Leela Chockalingam, author of 'A Pallava Adventure' (Penguin Random House), says as a child her favourite books were the 'Just William' series by Richmal Crompton, 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte, 'The Narayanpur Incident' by Shashi Deshpande and 'Swami and Friends' by RK Narayan. She loved the humour in the RK Narayan and Richmal Crompton books and would often discuss them with friends. To date, her best friends and she talk about them. Her close friend Priya is, in fact, RK Narayan's niece, and the main character of 'Swami and Friends' is named after her late father, Swaminathan. Shashi Deshpande's 'The Narayanpur Incident' as well as her grandfather's retelling of his time in the INA inspired her love of Indian history. With 'Jane Eyre', the slight darkness of the book appealed to her, which is why her stories always look at what happens when things go wrong for children and how they develop resilience. As an adult, her favourite writer is Ruskin Bond. "When you read his stories, you can hear the chuckle in his voice and you are there, absorbed into the nature he describes. The landscape and setting just comes alive! Adults love his stories as much as children do and that is the mark of a good writer! I could read his books over and over!" she says.
Vinitha on Making the Invisible Visible
Vinitha, author of 'Uma Kapoor Vs The Universe' (Penguin Random House), says her favourite children's books span age groups and genres, but they share a commitment to making the invisible visible. The Art1's Art Exploration series makes Indian artists accessible to young readers in a way no publisher has done before, leaving children braver about creating art themselves. 'Is it the Same for You?' is her absolute favourite — a picture book for young adults about a Kashmiri girl navigating puberty against a backdrop of daily violence and political unrest. She loves books that are age agnostic, like 'Art is a Voice', which asks whether art can be a tool for protest and resistance, or 'Bhimayana', the graphic novel on Ambedkar and caste discrimination that she keeps copies of at home to gift freely.
Lesley D Biswas on Nature and History
Lesley D Biswas, author of 'Caught in the Crossfire' (Penguin Random House), traces her penchant for nature-themed stories to her childhood days in the countryside. 'Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra' and 'Time Stops At Shamli', collections of short stories by Ruskin Bond, have trees, hills and family bonds, her all-time favourites. So does 'Fire On The Mountain' and RK Narayan's 'Under The Banyan Tree & Other Stories'. Some compelling historical fiction for adults are 'The Nightingale' and 'The Kite Runner'. Duckbill's 'Queen' series for young adults about powerful but forgotten Indian queens and Percy Jackson's adventures are great series too.
Shabnam Minwalla on Enid Blyton and Anne
Shabnam Minwalla, author of 'Darkness at Star Mills' (Penguin Random House), says as a child she was entranced by Enid Blyton's 'The Magic Faraway Tree' series and the sense of never knowing what awaited the children when they climbed to the very top of the tree. Sometimes it was unlimited birthday cake, at other times it was bad-tempered giants. When she grew a little older, she switched allegiance to 'Anne of Green Gables', and wished, wished and wished that Anne (spelt with an e) had been adopted by her parents instead of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. "In a way, she was my best friend during those difficult middle school years," she recalls. The marvellous book she discovered alongside her children was Anushka Ravishankar's 'Moin and the Monster', and for her it is the funniest book of all times. She rereads it at least once a year and giggles endlessly.
Bijal Vachharajani on Picture Books and Graphic Narratives
Bijal Vachharajani, author of 'A Revolution in the Valley' (Penguin Random House), says her bio is mostly: I read, write and edit children's books. "I'm constantly reading, and it's the only way I make sense of the world. Or escape from it. Or both," she says. 'When the Sun Sets' by Ogin Nayam, 'Hello, Sun' by Rajiv Eipe and 'Ammachi's Glasses' by Priya Kuriyan are three picture books that make her happy. Ogin's book is a stunning and subversive wordless exploration of what the Sun does when she goes home; Rajiv's is a joyous ode to Earth's denizen, while Priya will have you in splits. The Ninja Nani series by Lavanya Karthik and the Stoob series by Samit Basu are other favourites when it comes to illustrated/graphic narrative chapter books. Among books for older readers, Menaka Raman's 'How to Win an Election (A Most Unreliable Guide)' is a book she fully recommends. Also, 'An Absence of Squirrels' by Aparna Kapur will make you think about the worlds we live in and what's obscured. She would read pretty much anything by Asha Nehemiah, Shabnam Minwalla and Zai Whitaker.
Balaji Venkataramanan on RK Narayan and Indian Writers
Balaji Venkataramanan, author of 'Unlocked' (Penguin Random House), says as a child he would read almost anything he could get his hands on. His mom often bought children's books from the USSR travelling bookshop. An author he particularly liked as a kid was RK Narayan because 'Malgudi Days' was on TV at the time and the title song captivated him. He loved the way Narayan portrayed ordinary people, making you feel you might run into one of them at your native village fair or at the local market. He was delighted to discover that 'R' in RK Narayan stood for Rasipuram, which happens to be his native place. They even share the same birthday. Today, he makes a conscious effort to read books by Indian children's writers and is lucky to read them at the fortnightly Mylapore Reads meet-up where a storyteller brings her collection to keep the kids amused. He values voice and likes stories that celebrate the joys of everyday life.
Purba M on Enid Blyton and Gentle Parenting
Purba M, author of 'Mighty Explorers, Indian Universe for Children' (Westland), says as a child she grew up reading Enid Blyton, and her books opened up a whole new world for her. They made her imagine her own little adventures, full of friendship, curiosity and wonder. Today, as a mother of two, an entrepreneur, and someone who believes in gentle parenting, as much as real life allows, she finds the 'Behavior Counts!' series especially relevant. Each book focuses on one simple behaviour or value in an everyday setting, helping children understand how their actions affect themselves and others. Somewhere, she thinks these influences have shaped the world she is now creating for children — an Indian universe called 'Mighty Explorers', where characters learn SEL values through familiar, everyday moments.
Narayan Devanathan on Ruskin Bond, William and Enid Blyton
Narayan Devanathan, author of 'Folktales from Tamil Nadu' (Westland), says it's hard to choose one favourite, but here are a few: 'The Blue Umbrella' by Ruskin Bond — it's absolutely gorgeous in etching out its characters, from Binya to Ram Bharosa to the umbrella itself and the hills of Garhwal. The William series by Richmal Crompton — the essence of boyhood, being irrepressibly incorrigible, is the reason he inordinately loves William. 'The Five Find-Outers & Dog' by Enid Blyton — the Five Find-Outers are great, but it's Buster and Constable Goon that make you fall in love with this series again and again, barking mad as they both can get.
