A student reads in the Centre for Learning Library

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Catering to the young – Anil Menon, Sujata Noronha, Shailaja Menon and Vidya Mani on children’s literature in India

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/indian-writing-for-children/article8116511.ece When Vidya Mani was a child, Enid Blyton opened up a world where tin cans often held sardines to feast on. Only, the cans she opened at home hardly ever held this delicacy, a staple in Blyton’s larder. It took Vidya a while to realise that sardines were a type of fish, and even […]

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An old captivity

Recently I read an absorbing account of a friend’s reading journey and that started me off on my own recollections. I was living with my grandparents in a little township called Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka. Every morning the call of the sirens woke me up and sent the faithful miners scurrying underground. There were […]

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The great book chase

Lurking deep in the heart of every librarian is a set of amazing stories which are not a part of the library collection. These tales are about sleuthing worthy of note by the greatest detectives in literature, relentless and dogged pursuit which would make even “Les Miserables” pale in comparison, and shades of serendipity which […]

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Two reviews by Poorna School children

Book reviews have been done by students of Poorna school. To read them click on the links below. Thursday book review 1 Thursday book review 2

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A Library Session on Nonfiction with Palashas and Akshas at CFL

Nonfiction: “The Literature of Fact.” Nonfiction has long been neglected in school libraries around the world. According to studies, at the elementary and primary levels, very few books in nonfiction are available for children to read either in class libraries or in the main library except for encyclopedias and fact books. This is unfortunate because […]

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What is a good book?

A child actually begins a relationship with reading before she can read! Sitting snuggled in a lap, gazing intently at the pictures and even the words perhaps, a child is soon able to recognise which part of the story is on which page. She even has favourite stories. There is a hazy awareness that apart […]

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A breakthrough at the Jnana Ganga Granthalaya

For some time now Leela Garady and I have been facing some difficulties in the running of this Varadenahalli village library. The initial enthusiasm on the part of the teenagers gradually waned as they moved on to college and other pursuits. But the eagerness of the younger children to have access to the library remained […]

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The dream and the reality

I just came back from Kausani in Uttarakhand where a small library had started in May this year. Well, it is actually in full operation! The young woman who took on the task of being the ‘librarian’ seems to be born to be one. I sat quietly in a corner and watched her interact with […]

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Magic in the Mountains.

Sitting snuggled in a shelter between Sitla and Odakhan in the Kumaun Mountains, is a wondrous library. It is free, open and used happily by adults and children from neighbouring hills and dales. The couple whose brainwave this is built a house at Satholi and decided they would also run a library for the neighbourhood. […]

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A living breathing library space!

Recently I spent two marvellous months at the Brockwood Park School in Hampshire in England.  My mission : To make the library a living space for staff, students and other users. So the question was: Could I do it ? The school has international students from ages 14 to 18 and has a very unusual […]

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