Pratham Books Champions Programme 2017

My discovery of Pratham Books is dated and goes back to when I was hunting for simple, affordable, and engaging storybooks to use as teaching material for English with junior grade children. The not-for-profit organization had already made its mark for creating books that were accessible in language, cost, and theme. By 2017, I was already fond of their work and when the Pratham Books Champions initiative was announced for that year, I knew I wanted to participate. The campaign invited ordinary people to become storytellers for a day and share the joy of reading with children around them. The 2017 edition’s chosen book was Kottavi Raja and His Sleepy Kingdom written by Yasaswini Sampathkumar and illustrated by Henu.

The special charm of this campaign is its inclusiveness. You don’t need to be a professional teacher, librarian, or storyteller — you just need to love stories. For me, it was the perfect excuse to gather the children from my apartment complex, with whom I already shared a warm bond. They were used to dropping by my home, spending time in my living room, or just lingering around to chat. They knew I was always ready with an anecdote, a funny memory, or sometimes even a spontaneous short tale to amuse them.

The excitement began even before the story session itself. When the postman delivered the package from Pratham Books, containing the banner and the featured storybook, it felt like a festive moment. My young wards were already at my place, chattering away as usual. The moment I tore open the package, their eyes widened in curiosity, and that was the instant the “secret” was out. The idea that a book had arrived just for them, carrying a royal title about a sleepy king, was enough to spark eager questions and impatient giggles.

Though the official start date was a few days away, we found ourselves too tempted to wait. One lazy afternoon, we all gathered in my living room. Mats were spread out casually on the floor, some children perched on stools, and others stretched themselves against cushions. The banner from Pratham was propped up against the wall, and while it wasn’t a grand setup, it gave a sense of occasion. Without further ado, we began reading Kottavi Raja and His Sleepy Kingdom.

The story, with its whimsical premise of a king who could not sleep, instantly hooked the children. The illustrations by Henu added colour and humour to the words, and every time I paused to show the pictures, the room erupted with observations. Some children giggled at Kottavi Raja’s sleepy eyes, others began imitating yawns, and one or two even insisted on dramatizing parts of the story by pretending to be the drowsy king. What struck me was how quickly the story drew them into a shared world of imagination.

But the real treasure was the conversation that followed the reading. I have always believed that stories should be springboards for dialogue, not just one-way narrations. So, I asked them: What do you think makes someone sleepy? Why do you think Kottavi Raja couldn’t sleep? Their answers ranged from the logical to the wildly imaginative. One child said the king probably drank too much coffee, another suggested that royal worries kept him awake, while a younger child solemnly declared that maybe ghosts in the palace were disturbing his rest! The conversation became a delightful back-and-forth where the children were not passive listeners but active creators of meaning.

We didn’t stop with just one story. The children clamoured for more, and I brought out my small collection of Pratham books that I often used while teaching. Titles that I had planned to save for another day were eagerly pulled out and flipped through. It reminded me that storytelling with children rarely follows a rigid plan — it spills over with enthusiasm and curiosity. I had gone in with a structured approach, hoping to guide them steadily through one book, but their exuberance took over. My careful planning dissolved into what I jokingly call a “tomato ketchup moment” — the neatness of the dish gone, but the flavour all the richer.

As the session ended, I reflected on how much I had learned alongside them. The children may have gained a story, but I gained a reminder: storytelling is not a one-way act. It is a dialogue, a space where children surprise you with their wit, imagination, and sometimes even wisdom. Books like those from Pratham allow this exchange to happen naturally, providing just enough structure for a session but leaving enough room for improvisation and spontaneity.

By the end of the day, the banner still lay against the wall, the books scattered across the room, and the children reluctant to leave. The official motto of the programme — One Day, One Story — had fulfilled itself beautifully. It wasn’t about perfection; it wasn’t about sticking to a timetable. It was about the sparkle in the children’s eyes, the giggles that carried through the afternoon, and the conversations that went far beyond the story’s last page.

The 2017 Pratham Books Champions Programme reaffirmed my belief that stories are living things. They don’t stay bound by their covers but spread into the minds of those who hear them. And in that spreading lies their magic.

Source: Pratham Reading Champions 2017

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