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20 FEBRUARY, 2026
In the eyes of children, every question opens a door and every dream sparkles with possibility. These young minds are a driving force, sustainable development, innovation and social transformation yet most of them have limited access to quality education. These are not just books; they are avenues of possibility, inviting young minds to dream and discover.
A biography of Sugathakumari — a poet environmental activist from Kerala — with great selections of incidents from her life. The development of Sugathakumari’s character and aspirations, along with key historical events in the environmental movements in Kerala are brought alive through her conversations with Muruki,a young tribal girl. This dialogue serves as a wonderful gateway for young readers to learn about the importance of protecting our forests and wildlife. By following their adventures, children are inspired to become little guardians of nature themselves, discovering how poetry and passion can help save the green world.
Author: Sanid Asif Ali
A powerful and complex poem that is brilliantly illustrated, this book stands as a strong critique of contemporary society. It communicates this through a series of complex illustrations, mostly abstract and in collage-form, and in pull-out ‘spread’ sheets seen through translucent verses of the poem, as though the words reflect the deeper structures and events in society. Provocative and prospective in equal measure, this work has the quality of a museum art show captured in a book, with minimal curatorial text. This immersive approach to storytelling encourages children to look beyond the surface and engage with the world through a creative, artistic lens.
Author: Kripa Bhatia
A picture book for all ages, it contains a set of descriptive markers on each page, building up as a set of riddles or clues towards the reveal of the identity of the unknown entity being introduced as “language”. The descriptive markers highlight the centrality of language in our cultural experience over history and the role communication has played in this time. Illustrations brilliantly capture these, perhaps hinting at universality of language experience including interesting ways for sign language and braille. This lyrical work invites readers to explore the invisible threads binding humanity together.
Authors: Victor D.O. Santos
The book is based on the life of Laxmi Panda, a hitherto unknown figure of Odiya origin. A tightly written account it covers her journey of joining the Indian National Army (INA) led by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in erstwhile Burma (current day Myanmar). Laxmi gets involved in daring espionage and a challenging escape from Burma into India. While this book is a historical witness to the times where a different side of India’s story of independence is narrated — one fought from foreign soil — it also reads well as a piece of excellent storytelling. This tale transforms a complex historical era into an accessible, high-stakes journey that will captivate young readers and spark their curiosity about India’s past.
Author: Savie Karnel
Bold charcoal illustrations by Priya Sebastion introduce us to mothers of all kinds — as human and quirky as any of us. Perhaps you’ll spot your mother among the pages or you might use words and pictures to paint her your way. A book about mothers without their children! Mothers will like to see themselves in the book and children will wonder how they see their mothers. This enchanting narrative invites little ones to explore the secret, playful lives of their parents through a lens of wonder and imagination. It serves as a perfect bedtime story that celebrates individuality while encouraging unique family tales.
Author: Richa Jha
The article was first published across all print editions of the Hindustan Times on 20 February 2026.
