Words to shine a light with

It is often through ‘darker’ stories that children are able to navigate experiences when they actually face them in real life.

We are all wired to protect our young ones from harm, and we go to great lengths to keep them safe. As an extension of it, we also try to keep them away from unpleasant things. Often, that involves hiding the truth. However, pretending that a problem doesn’t exist doesn’t get rid of the problem. And how long can we keep up the pretense, anyway?

Children do notice things happening around them. What if, instead of hiding the truth, we provide opportunities and give them the language with which to discuss the things they see?

While children’s books are usually expected to be happy and cheerful, there have always been books that deal with the darker side of life. In fact, it is often through these darker stories that children are able to navigate experiences when they actually face them in real life.

Increasingly, authors are taking on the challenge of writing about difficult subjects.

The most recent example is Jamlo Walks, by Samina Mishra, poignantly illustrated by Tarique Aziz. Based on the true story of a little girl who started walking back to her home during the 2020 lockdown, this hard-hitting book doesn’t hesitate to tell the truth. This is a great example of the kind of book I’ve been talking about.

Another author who has tackled a tough subject well is Asha Nehemiah, in her book Behind the Lie. It is about domestic violence, which is more prevalent in society than we think it is, and many children are directly or indirectly affected by it. Yet another book is Your Body is Yours written by Yamini Vijayan, which talks about the autonomy of every child’s body. This is an essential book, once again because child abuse is far more common than we believe. Both these books give children the words with which to talk about what is going on in their lives. Both books are beautifully illustrated by Aindri C, and are available to read online on storyweaver.org.in.

Mental health is a topic that we don’t usually tend to associate with children. But especially because of the terrible events relating to the pandemic, it is quite possible that children are dealing with grief, anxiety and depression. Some books that deal sensitively with this subject are Darkless by Tanu Shree Singh, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat, The Boy in the Dark Hole by Vaishali Shroff, illustrated by Samidha Gunjal, and When the World Went Dark by Jane De Suza. The last one is even set in the pandemic.

Books and stories are not substitutes for professional help. But through stories, children might at least be able to find the words to talk about their problems with the trusted adults in their lives. Or they might at least realise that what is happening to them needs to be talked about. At the very least, they will know that they are not alone in feeling that way.

The author has written 10 books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com

GobbledyBook is a fortnightly column that gives a peek into the wondrous world of children’s books. Hop on! Or as Alice did, plunge into the rabbit hole.