"Perhaps for the very first time, we have a fictional story in Nepali with elements of paleontology. The characters here are all dinosaurs. These are basics that senior school students have to learn about in their science classes. We thought a book like this would make it more interesting for them to study," explains Dahal.
Being involved in children's literature certainly isn't child's play. These are books that we rely on to help build their foundation and also hopefully develop a reading habit. Dahal and her team at Kathalaya are well aware of these responsibilities. Since 2007, they have published 180 children's books in Nepali, English and several other regional languages. But turns out, it hasn't always been easy for them to maintain their standards. Priyanka Gurung sat down with Dahal to learn more about Nepal's children literature scene.
To begin with, what are the differences between publishing adult literature and children's literature?
We need to be wary about several factors while publishing as well as writing books for children. We have to think about the age group we are catering to, their psychology at the time and then the things that need to be taught to them. So from the characters, vocabulary to sentence structure, everything needs to be used for a specific purpose. Obviously we don't have such strict requirements with adult literature. But for children, what they read is how they learn, understand and grow.
A research carried out throughout Nepal by Early Grade Reading Program had shown that in majority of places the level of kids in third grade was equivalent to those in the first. So I believe we have to take the responsibility of making kids read from early on very seriously.
Do you have a team of writers who specifically write for children?
I think we are all well aware that we don't have the likes of Enid Blyton or Dr Seuss here in our country. There aren't any writers who specifically write for kids or ones who have made a name for themselves in the field. We have people sending in their stories but they tend to also work elsewhere in NGOs, INGOs, consultancies or they write in various publications. Some even have a book or two in their name. Sometimes we also put out advertisements asking for submissions.
And are you satisfied with the quality of writing in our children's books?
To be honest, I can't think of any work that could be marked as the standard for writing in children's books. Though just a while back, we had somebody who claimed he could write six of the kinds of children's books we publish in a single day. There are many who tend to underestimate writing for kids. Many experienced writers believe that if they can cater to adults, children's books should be a piece of cake when in reality, that isn't necessarily the case.
We are still looking for authors who can meet all the technical criteria and then weave a tale which is engrossing as well as creative.
It's the reason we began giving free workshops and seminars to those interested in writing books for children. So far, we have had experts from Denmark and Sweden. We also have an extensive collection of children's books in English for various ages. We encourage the writers to go through them and spot the differences and be inspired as well. We believe lots of research and study is mandatory if you wish to write for kids. We are trying to develop that habit among the potential writers.
Is there a big market for children's books in our country?
Most of our books are usually bought by NGOs and INGOs. Projects and organizations like Room to Read, Save the children, UNICEF need it for their programs. For instance, especially after the earthquake, there was a surge in the sales because various projects were helping displaced kids with their classrooms and studies.
We also have our own marketing department that tries to promote a reading culture among kids in schools. There have been talks of making sure each class has a library. If they can enforce that, children's literature would surely flourish in our country. But right now about 2% of bookstores do ask for certain children's books but we have to approach the rest. So indeed there is a market but it still isn't as strong as it could and should be.
Kathalaya has also made it a point to publish children's books in various regional languages. Why is that?
It is natural for anybody, especially kids to, be interested in things that they are familiar with and books are no exception. In one of the storytelling sessions, I remember this one girl who wouldn't stop crying. She had a Tamang background and couldn't understand what we were saying. I decided to learn a few phrases in Tamang and when I spoke to her in her mother tongue, the surprise and delight was evident in her face. She began interacting with us after that. That's the reality of our country. Not everybody speaks Nepali and we shouldn't leave a child behind because of a language barrier.
So where do you think Nepal's children's literature scene stands at the moment?
We have barely begun when it comes to children's literature. At Kathalaya, we are trying our level best to make sure our writers understand that children's literature is a whole different ball game and that they need to produce works that come close to international standards. But writers aren't the only aspect. For example, we have to train our illustrators as well because we are dealing with kids and pictures play a huge role in attracting them to read. It's difficult to find qualified editors as well. As I mentioned, most are involved in children's literature as a side gig.
But Nepal's reading culture itself is only just kicking off. We still have parents who would rather buy their children toys or ice creams than a book and all of this plays a part in the slow progress of the country's children's literature scene.
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