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Summer Reading with Puchku

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Wondering what to read with your kiddos in summer? Paromita Chakrabarti had drawn up a list of books by Indian publishers. And our very own Puchku is on that list!


The summer holidays are here and if, like me, you are averse to the idea of summer camps and prefer to let the kids run wild and free, here are some lovely reads for those rare moments of quietude that might come your way if you are patient enough.


How does a bookworm make the most of summer? By running riot in the local library, of course! Puchku loves to read and when she runs out of books at home, she is introduced to the joys of a library. All’s going well, except, one day, she realises that she has worked her way through the books on the lower shelves and needs to reach up higher. How can she when she’s a tiny thing and the bookcase an enormous affair? Puchku turns to her friends but it’s an attempt doomed to failure. Will the books on the top shelves remain forever out of her bounds? An endearing story by Deepanjana Pal for beginner readers (appropriate for: 5+), A Book for Puchku (2017, Pratham Books) introduces children to the joy of local libraries (can we have more of them, please?) and the comfort of burying your face in a book.


Read 'A Book for Puchku' or get your own copy of the book.

Say Hello to the Little Creatures

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Week 3 of #EnvironmentMonth is here and who are we meeting this week? The little creatures called insects!


Insects have one of the largest biomass' of terrestrial animals. At any time, it is estimated that there are 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive. But even though they have numbers on their side, it's not easy being an insect. People are terrified of you before they even get to know you. You get called names like creepy crawly and bug. Worst of all, you get stomped on or sprayed at with poison. If people actually got to know the members of Family Insecta, they would realise what wonderful, hard working, diverse creatures belong to this group and how essential they are for our survival. Here are a set of picture books across reading levels, available in multiple languages, that teach young readers how to appreciate insects instead of fearing them.

Dragonflies have been on the earth much before human beings appeared! Read this account of their incredible life cycle in Ranjit Lal's effervescent style. Sanjay Sarkar's expert brush comes up with illustrations to match!


Why Do Bees Buzzby Nabanita Deshmukh and Zainab Tambawalla

Why can't bees work quietly? They buzz because there are some very good reasons to do so. Learn about the humble bees in this book.

An Umbrella for Druvi by Shabnam Minwalla and Malavika Tiwari
Druvi needs an umbrella to protect her wings from the rain. Join the dragonfly as she searches for the perfect leaf-umbrella.

Where Am I?by Priya Venkatesh and Karthikeyan S.
Can you spot the insects camouflaged in this spotting book?
Off to See Spiders by Vena Kapoor and Pia Meenakshi
OK. So technically, spiders are arachnids and not insects, but we can't help but inclue this lovely book here. Join Shivi and Kaveri as they go for a spider walk with their cool cousin Shama. Get ready to meet ant-mimic spiders, crab spiders and wolf spiders.
Hope you enjoyed meeting these little creatures with us! Tune in to our #EnvironmentMonth updates throughout the month of June!

Psssst : In case you missed our previous updates, read 'Time to Dive In' and 'Discover the Real Eco-Heroes'.

Teaching Kids About the Environment

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While we are busy reading books related to the environment, the folks at The Curious Reader are also doing the same. They have compiled 'a list of 21 books you can read to your kids to teach them about the environment and its wonders'. We are thrilled to find 10 of our books on this amazing list!

Illustration by ROSH

The Adventures Of Philautus Frog provides a glimpse of the magnificent forests and wildlife through the journey of a little frog called Philautus. He travels through the Western Ghats to reach the sea and along the way, he introduces children to many fascinating creatures.

Jadav And The Tree-Place is an inspiring picture story featuring Jadav ‘Mulai’ Payeng who planted a whole forest after seeing the plight of snakes that washed ashore because of a flood, and were then dying in the heat. Children will learn the benefits of planting trees through this wonderful story based on a real hero.

This picture book, Stick Your Tongue Out! teaches kids about animal tongues of various sizes, shapes, and colours and their various uses.

The best way to teach kids about the environment is through storytelling. The Case of the Missing Water is the story of Ranj who sets out to find the missing water after the tank in her village dries up. It is an interesting way to talk about the issue of water depletion and how it is caused.

Welcome to the Forest follows Tulsa, a visually impaired girl, who gets to visit Kanha Tiger Reserve with her school friends. With her and her friends, we also get to experience the forest through its sounds.

My City, My Dogs introduces us to the many street dogs of Mumbai, who share the city with its people, with the help of illustrations combined with photographs. 

The Little Bird In The Big Mountains tells the story of Meera, who rescues an injured bird while on her way to buy new shoes, and then takes care of it till it is well enough to fly away.

DIVE! uses beautiful and colourful images to provide a glimpse into the breathtaking world of coral reefs and introduces kids to some peculiar and fascinating sea creatures such as parrotfish, batfish, and clownfish. 

In Pishi Caught in a Storm, a huge manta ray fish, Pishi, was caught and wounded in a sea storm and the other fish help him treat his wounds. The book depicts, with the help of captivating images, how sea creatures help each other when needed. 

In Ghum-Ghum Gharial’s Glorious Adventures, Ghum-Ghum, the little alligator has lost her family on her very first swim and is on a quest to find them. She meets various sea creatures on her way to find her father.

You can read all these books for free by clicking on the above links. Click here to see the other books that made it to this list.

Donate-a-Book Turns Three!

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Para-para-paraaaaaa....Para-para-paraaaa. Donate-a-Book turns THREE today!

We are through with the not-so-terrible twos. As we turn a magical three, we look back at the last three years!
3 Years
348 Campaigns
1,33,602 Books Distributed
3,37,000+ Kids Impacted

Thank you ALL for being the best type of book buddy : the one who shares the joy of reading!

Like everyone else on the planet, we love getting presents for our birthday. This birthday, we want to ask you to create #TheBookMonsoon! We want it to rain books, books and more books. 

Help us raise funds for 3000 books in 30 days! 

The best part - this birthday gift will be shared with thousand of children across the country.

How to start #TheBookMonsoon
  • Choose from any of the campaigns listed below
  • Make a donation of your choice (Rs.250 = 6 books, Rs.500 = 12 books, Rs.1000 = 25 books, Rs.2500 = 62 books and Rs.5000 = 1 library kit)

You can start #TheBookMonsoon by donating books to  :
THANK YOU for joining us on this journey!

Let it rain books all across India.  

Make Every Tree Count!

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It's the last week of our #EnvironmentMonth celebrations, and we're doffing our hat to the lungs of the planet: trees. Beautiful, nurturing and providing comfort to those who seek it, trees are the lifeline of the planet. Here are some beautiful books that celebrate trees in all their glory and also include stories of people who go out of their way to save trees. Free to read, download and share, and available in multiple languages.


Chipko Takes Root by Jeyanthi Manokaran
Here is a story set in the hills that shows what bravery and grit can accomplish. Dichi, a brave Bhotiya girl takes part in the Chipko movement to save her beloved trees. Everybody in her village knows that trees give them all the important things in their life. Rapid deforestation in the Himalayan region of Alaknanda river caused floods in the 1970s and gave birth to a movement to save trees by hugging them. Read this heartwarming tale to learn the power of collective action as seen through the eyes of young Dichi.

Grandfather Goes on Strike by K.S. Nagarajan and Neeta Gangopadhya
Most grandfathers are content to lie back in an armchair and lazily read the day's newspaper. Not our tree loving senior citizen. He goes on strike for his beloved trees and a series of hilarious events liven up this entertaining tale. Read on to find out who saves the day and who saves the trees!

Up World, Down World by Padmaparna Ghosh and Sunaina Coelho
In a canopy forest in India, the Up World and Down World have always been suspicious of each other. But it all changes when Gopa the dormouse drops her book by accident on Fatima’s head. A story about the biodiversity of the canopy forests and friendship.

Let's Go Seed Collecting! by Neha Sumitran and  Archana Sreenivasan
Join Tooka, Poi, and their best friend Inji the dog, as they go around collecting seeds. The adventure begins when the three friends meet Pacha the tamarind tree.


Every Tree Counts by Praba Ram, Sheela Preuitt and Sangeetha Kadur
From the stately Deodar and colourful Coral to the majestic Banyan and common Pipal, the book takes children on a journey across varied landscapes as they count trees, and picture the uses of each tree. Look around you to find more trees, and learn what these terrific trees can do.

My Tree-Friendby Shreekumar Varma and Rae Zachariah
We all know trees are our friends. But can friends be trees too? Just like the fruits in Ammoomma’s trees, friends can be sweet, sour, or both!

A Walk Among Trees by Nimret Handa
Trees have been growing on our planet well before human beings appeared on it. Without their comforting shade and tasty fruit, our earth would be quite a barren place. Take a walk among trees in the King's orchard to savour the taste, the smell and the legends associated with bountiful fruit trees in India. You will feel refreshed by all that you learn!

Hope you enjoyed climbing up many trees through this post and enjoyed all the #EnvironmentMonth updates throughout the month of June!

Psssst : In case you missed our previous updates, read 'Time to Dive In' and 'Discover the Real Eco-Heroes' and 'Say Hello to the Little Creatures'

Opening a Book Together

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“The kids couldn’t believe there was going to be a library in their school! First they kept asking whether a library was really going to be set up in their schools. When we said 'Yes!´ their eyes widened and we could catch a sparkle dancing in their eyes. When they saw that we were arranging the books, they offered to help (and actually helped as well).” 
- Ruchi Dhona (Founder, Let’s Open a Book)

What a heartwarming reaction to receiving books! All made possible by the generous donations to the campaign 'Let's Open a Book' started on our crowdfunding platform Donate-a-Book.

‘Let’s Open a Book’ was founded in January 2015. The idea came up when they started working on reviving an under-utilized library on an NGO campus. 

Since then, they have helped 15 government schools in Gurgaon and Spiti valley set up libraries on their campus, directly reaching over 1000 children. 

The Library-in-a-classroom kits are being given to those schools which do not have any existing libraries. Children can borrow books from these libraries to read. They also carry out fun activities such as read alouds, storytelling etc. 

When asked about the ease of setting up the campaign on our platform, Ruchi said “It was a very good experience as we could conveniently set up a books donation drive and send the link to people. It was really quite easy to set up the campaign”

Here is a little snapshot of where our books have reached :






Let’s Open a Book is aiming to reach 20 more schools in Spiti Valley this year. Help them reach their target by making a small donation towards their campaign on Donate-a-Book. Let us join hands together and help kids open a book!

Building a Book Bank!

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In 2016, NIPUN set up a campaign on the Donate-a-Book platform to raise funds for the kids they were working with. NIPUN is a non-profit organization that works towards enhancing the quality of life of the needy and the vulnerable. They are currently working with marginalized families who have migrated to Delhi from neighbouring states in search of employment. Casual labour, domestic services, rickshaw pullers and petty trading are among the major sources of livelihood. Many of the children in these families do not have access to education and this is the reason why NIPUN started a campaign to give these kids access to books - right at their doorstep!

Nipun was only able to raise 12% of the funds they needed and eventually received 118 books. But these books have already been read by hundreds of children in the J.J clusters of Meer Bagh, Delhi. The children have also enthusiastically created a library club in the community.


When asked about the experience of creating a campaign on Donate-a-Book platform :
“Due to funds constraint we could not set up a library for the underprivileged children but now due to this campaign we got books which are being used to set up the community library.”




If just 118 books could spread the joy of reading, imagine the magic many, many more books could create.

NIPUN has set up another campaign to help the children they serve have access to more books. They aim to empower underprivileged children with a special focus on girls. Presently around 600 children are enrolled at various centres where Nipun is providing them with pre-school and remedial education, and eventually mainstreaming them into Government School. NIPUN would like to create a book bank for these children to inculcate better reading habits, promote joyful learning and to reduce the drop-out rate.

Join them in their endeavour and help them get more books for their library! This monsoon, make it rain books on NIPUN's book bank campaign.

                              

"Show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become." | Beyond the stereotype

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Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has spoken eloquently and often of "the danger of a single story" -- and it is these "single stories" that help gender bias along. A single way of seeing how girls should look. How boys should be. What's acceptable. What's admirable.

When our Instagram friend, mommyingtales, reached out about her  campaign on #agenerationwithoutgenderbias, we were only to happy to put together a list of #genderpositive storybooks for kids.

We're committed to the idea of "many stories" about gender. Our stories feature everyday heroes like the motorbike-riding Games teacher, Miss Laya, and a grandmother who invents machines to do daily chores around the house. They shine a light on inspiring Indian role models like scientist, Anna Mani, and Olympic gymnast, Dipa Karmakar. They share the joy of a father cooking for his daughter, or a young boy, Kali, who pursues his love for Bharatanatyam. They walk us in the footsteps of girls who long to fly, or play football, or love to eat.

After all, as Adichie says, "The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story."

Here's a list of some of our favourite #genderpositive stories in different languages from Pratham Books. Just click to shop.

Meet Sooraj's inventive grandmother
Make friends with purple Puchku 
Be inspired by Dipa Karmakar
Meet brave little Ana
Riju and Manju teach you a thing or two about computers
Say hello to young Manikantan
Enjoy a hearty meal with Neema

Pratham Books is Hiring: UX Designer

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Pratham Books is a not-for-profit children's book publisher that was set up in 2004 to publish good quality, affordable books in many Indian languages. Our mission is to see ‘a book in every child’s hand’ and we have spread the joy of reading to millions of children in India. In the last three years, we have invested deeply in technology-based initiatives to further our mission. We are now looking for a Data Analyst as we significantly scale these initiatives.

StoryWeaver is a digital platform that hosts stories in languages from India and beyond, so that every child can have an endless stream of stories in her mother tongue to read and enjoy. The stories can be read, translated, versioned or downloaded for free. All stories on the platform are openly licensed and the goal is to open source the code as well. In two years, StoryWeaver has scaled from 800 stories in 24 languages to 7800 stories in 111 languages by engaging with a community of users. We want every child to have access to quality reading resources in their own language.

StoryWeaver is being recognized as an emerging innovation that can transform the early literacy reader ecosystem globally. Our vision is for StoryWeaver to be the largest multilingual open library in the world for children by empowering communities to address the scarcity of reading resources in their mother tongue languages and scale the quantity and quality of content being produced.

Job Description:

We are looking for a passionate individual wanting to make a difference, one who believes that technology can be a powerful enabler in creating equitable access to resources. This role requires an individual contributor who can work effectively, both independently and collaboratively, in a team environment and deliver the project in a timely manner within allocated resources and budgets.

We are looking for a UX designer to work closely alongside our Product Development team in Bangalore.
Illustration by Radhika Tipnis
We’re looking for a self-motivated, detail-oriented individual who strongly believes in the power of a Good user experience. You will work closely with the internal teams and other Design partners. The person needs to be an out-of-the box thinker and should be a strong believer and propagator of use of open technologies.

Key Responsibilities:
  • UX designs for new features and enhancements on the platform
  • Translate concepts into user flows, mockups and prototypes (use cases) that lead to intuitive user experiences (where the screen would fit in the current website flow)
  • Create workflows, customer journey maps and designs for requirements provided by the Product Development team
  • Requirements gathering/ internal interviews for better understanding of features
  • Take a user-centered design approach and rapidly test and iterate your designs
  • Collaborate with other team members and stakeholders
  • Web screen (browser-based) and Mobile responsive
  • Prototyping
  • User testing and documentation: testing  the  prototypes with key stakeholders, documenting the experience, etc. 
  • Support Content & Marcom teams on illustrations/ designs on a need basis

Location: Position is based out of Bangalore. Project is expected to complete within a 2 year time-frame.

Salary: Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

Please send your resumé to careers@prathambooks.org with 'UX Designer' in the subject line of the email.

Thank You for #TheBookMonsoon

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Phew! It has been an exciting month for us at Pratham Books. Last month, we launched #TheBookMonsoon to mark Donate-a-Book's 3rd birthday. We asked if you could help us raise funds for 3000 books in 30 days. But guess what? YOU donated 3000 books in just 8 days! And you wouldn't stop. Over 12,000 books have been donated to several campaigns during this period. 

Thank you for making #TheBookMonsoon a roaring success and showering the gift of books to children across India!
Several campaigns are still in need of books for their libraries/reading programs. Here is a list of all the active campaigns you can donate to :

Thank you for helping India's children read.

Ready to watch some of our favourite stories?

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Best. News. Ever. Some of our favourite stories based on STEM subjects at different reading levels are now ready to enjoy in audio-visual form. From how sound travels, to the ways fractions can help you make lime juice, Pratham Books has lined up 19 of our much-loved titles for children to enjoy as videos.

We've even grouped them into reading level-appropriate playlists that can be watched in classrooms, reading groups, or even just at home.
Soon, we’ll have them in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, and Tamil, too. For now, though… 3... 2... 1... blast-off!

One Day, One Story is back!

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We’re counting down to this year’s edition of One Day, One Story, and we really hope you’ll join us!

Every year, Pratham Books celebrates International Literacy Day (September 8, in case you’ve forgotten) with story reading sessions for children across India. Last year, 5700+ Champions took the story of Kottavi Raja and his Sleepy Kingdomto thousands of children – conducting 6300+ storytelling sessions in 26 languages, in 25 states and 3 union territories in India. As well as 13 other countries. Will you be a Champion this year?

WATCH THE VIDEO


Why One Day, One Story?
To help children discover the joy of stories, and fall in love with reading. On September 8, Pratham Books Champions all over India will use one book to conduct reading sessions for children in their communities. All sessions are conducted free of cost, and focus on children from under-served communities.

What’s the story?
This year, Season 7 of One Day, One Story will feature A Cloud of Trash, written by Karanjeet Kaur, and illustrated by Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi. It’s a story about a little girl called Cheekoo, who has a cloud of trash hanging over her head. This makes her very, very unhappy, and as we follow her story, we learn a little more about trash, and about keeping our surroundings clean.


The story works well for children across different age and reading levels, and introduces themes like waste management, littering, reuse and recycling, and social responsibility. You could enact it, if you like, or get children to imagine what a cloud of trash could look like. We would love for you to use this story in creative ways – read, narrate, enact… it’s your session to conduct.

Sounds interesting? Mark your calendar for September 8, and join thousands of other Champions sharing their love for reading with the children who need it the most.

*Registrations to receive a hard copy of the book end on August 31, but we’ll be happy to mail you an e-copy!

How do you become a Champion?
You sign up! We'llsend you a copy of the book in the language of your choice, and a banner. You are free to choose the place and time you want to conduct the session. You can also conduct other activities that you think may go with the theme of the book.

After the session, please send us a short write-up with some photos from the event so that we can feature it here.

Note:
  • For logistical reasons, we will not be able to ship books to international destinations, but we will share an e-copy instead.
  • There are a limited number of printed books available, so if we run out of books by the time you register, we will send you an e-copy of the book.

If you have any queries, please mail champions(at)prathambooks(dot)org BEFORE you fill in the form.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will the book be sent for free or will I have to pay for it?
The book will be sent to you for free (till stocks last).

2. Do I have to find the venue?
Yes. Identify places where you can conduct this event in your city - a government school, an NGO, a library, a bookstore, a park, a train, your building... any place where regular children visit. Approach the organisation and explain the concept to them. Most of them will be happy to host you.

3. This is the first time I am conducting an event. How should I prepare for it?
Read the book a few times. If you are reading to a younger age group, see how you can tell the story without actually reading from the book (to retain their attention). Think of activities to engage the children after the storytelling. Alternatively, read a few more stories around the same theme. You’ll find great suggestions here.

4. Can I conduct multiple events?
Oh, yes, you can! The aim is to reach as many kids as possible. We've had several Champions conduct 2-3 sessions on the main day, and then go on to conduct sessions on a following day, if it’s a weekend.

5. Should I document the event?
We expect all our Champions to send us some documentation about the event conducted by them. You can send us videos, pictures, a write-up – just share with us the “real impact” you’ve helped make.

6. I really want to conduct a session but I am not free on September 8? What should I do?
The aim of One Day, One Story is to spread the joy of stories. Most people conduct the session on the chosen date. But just in case you are unable to, you can still conduct it on a day close to the chosen date. Because children getting to listen to a story is much more important than a date, right?

Sounds like something you want to do? Sign up here.

More video playlists with STEM-based stories -- in languages!

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Last week, we'd shared 20 curated STEM-themed stories on subjects ranging from mathematics, and visits to the mela, as well as the ways in which smell travels, or even sound.

Now we have two playlists each, in four more languages, to make your classroom or reading session much more engaging.


Storybook Playlist on STEM themes: Levels 1 & 2 (Hindi)


Storybook Playlist on STEM themes: Levels 3 & 4 (Hindi)


Storybook Playlist on STEM themes: Levels 1 & 2 (Kannada)


Storybook Playlist on STEM themes: Levels 3 & 4 (Kannada)


Storybook Playlist on STEM themes: Levels 1 & 2 (Marathi)


Storybook Playlist on STEM themes: Levels 3 & 4 (Marathi)


Storybook Playlist on STEM themes: Levels 1 & 2 (Tamil)


Storybook Playlist on STEM themes: Levels 3 & 4 (Tamil)

There's a fair amount of evidence outlining the benefits of video in the classroom -- see Khan Academy's Sal Khan TED talk about the how carefully structured educational videos can reinvent the traditional classroom script.

Pratham Books is hiring: Partnerships Manager (North)

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Pratham Books is a not-for-profit children's book publisher that was set up in 2004 to publish good quality, affordable books in many Indian languages. Our mission is to see ‘a book in every child’s hand’ and we have spread the joy of reading to millions of children in India. In the last three years, we have invested deeply in technology-based initiatives to further our mission. We are now looking to expand our Outreach Team to make our impact wider, and are on a lookout for a passionate individual based out of our Delhi office.

StoryWeaver is a digital platform that hosts stories in languages from India and beyond, so that every child can have an endless stream of stories in her mother tongue to read and enjoy. The stories can be read, translated, versioned or downloaded for free. All stories on the platform are openly licensed and the goal is to open source the code as well. In two years, StoryWeaver has scaled from 800 stories in 24 languages to 8500+ stories in 115 languages. We have built a robust global community that uses our content as well as contributed to creating more content on the platform.

StoryWeaver is being recognized as an emerging innovation that can transform the early literacy reader ecosystem globally. Recently, StoryWeaver was featured in the World Bank's report on 20 innovative EdTech projects from around the world, and was also the recipient of the prestigious Library of Congress Literacy Award 2017 International Prize. Our vision is for StoryWeaver to be the largest multilingual open library in the world for children by creating a collaborative publishing model that can address the scarcity of reading resources in mother tongue languages.

Job Description:

We are looking for a Partnerships Manager who can forge strategic partnerships to facilitate the use of StoryWeaver’s digital resources with organizations that have programs which promote reading and learning among children, specifically in the North and East of India.

Illustration by Delwyn Remedios
The Manager will be responsible for strategizing and executing plans to increase the user base of StoryWeaver and also provide the necessary training and support to the partner network and work closely with internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Identify potential partners and strategize, design and execute plans to onboard them as StoryWeaver users.
  • Create and execute robust work plans for achieving monthly, quarterly and annual goals including specific targets.
  • Build and nurture networks of partners working in the field of Education/ with Children/ Ed-Tech.
  • Provide training and support to the partner network.
  • Provide information and feedback to the internal team based on partner feedback and essentially be a bridge between the internal and external stakeholders.
  • Help with research and documentation for impact assessment.
  • Plan, execute and own book/event specific campaigns, on-ground events and CSR volunteering activities.
  • Help build strategy for the function, contribute in new ideas for both the function and platform.

Qualifications:

  • A post-graduate degree preferably in Marketing and Management
  • 3 to 5 years' work experience in Sales, Marketing, Outreach, Partnerships or related areas
  • Experience in a programmatic function in the development sector (preference for experience in Education)

Competencies:

  • High-level communications skills: Exceptional interpersonal and verbal/ written communication skills
  • Organisation/ time management skills:  Planning, working systematically and efficiently and keeping information organized and accessible
  • Project management skills:  Multi-tasking and prioritising, planning and organizing, perseverance, working with multiple teams that are interdependent, ability to work with timelines and targets
  • Ability to gather data, analyze information, and prepare reports and documents
  • Experience in classrooms and/ or working with educational organizations

Good to Have:

  • Ability to network and make connections
  • Interest in books, education and publishing
  • Should be open to travel

Location: This role is based out of Delhi and is full-time.

Salary: Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are requested to send in their resume to careers@prathambooks.org with the subject line: Partnerships Manager_North and a short paragraph outlining why they are suitable for this position.

August is Inventors' Month.

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At Pratham Books, we're great believers in the power of curiosity to fuel learning. That's why we leaped at the idea of celebrating August as Inventors' Month. After all, where would invention be without curiosity and exploration and experimentation?

Several years ago, we came across this Skillshare video that said it far better than mere words could.  We hope you enjoy it. As much as we hope you'll enjoy the many children's books we have about amazing inventions, and the even more amazing inventors who made them come to life. 


Each week, we'll dive into stories that describe the magical world of invention. And we hope you'll share them with your kids, your students, or even young people you know.

Like the line from the video goes: "It doesn't matter what you ask, just that you ask." It's the spirit that fuels everyday inventors of all ages.




In fact, to set the mood, just sit back and enjoy this reading of Gulli's Box of Things, by Rituparna Ghosh, of The Delhi Storytellers' Network.







400 Champions have signed up!

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As September 8 draws closer, we’re getting ready for One Day, One Story!

400 Champions have signed up. Volunteers have translated the book into more versions. The first batch of printed books and banners have been dispatched.


Do help us spread the word so that more Champions hold more story reading sessions for many more children. Sign up here.

This Year's Book
This year, Champions will be reading A Cloud of Trash, written by Karanjeet Kaur, and illustrated by Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi. It’s a story about a little girl called Cheekoo, who has a cloud of trash hanging over her head. This makes her very, very unhappy, and as we follow her story, we learn a little more about trash, and about keeping our surroundings clean.

Download Your e-copy
While you wait for your book to arrive, please download the book so that you can start practising for your session. Download the book in: English,Hindi,Kannada,Tamil,Marathi,Gujarati, and Surjapuri. Our language partners have also helped translate the book into Konkani, and Bahasa. We'll soon share versions in Punjabi, Bengali, Odia, and Sanskrit.

Activities That Support the Story
The story works well for children across different age and reading levels, and introduces themes like waste management, littering, reuse and recycling, and social responsibility. You could enact it, if you like, or get children to imagine what a cloud of trash could look like. We would love for you to use this story in creative ways – read, narrate, enact… it’s your session to conduct.

Spread the word!
For the past seven years, we’ve seen the tribe of PBChamps grow from just 250 Champions. We would love to have more storytellers join us. Do help us spread the word by telling your friends, colleagues, and family about One Day, One Story, or ask them to join you in your session.

Share our blog post so they can find out what they need to do: https://goo.gl/472Pso

On Twitter, tag us @prathambooks, and do use the hashtag #PBChamps

On Instagram, we’re @pratham.books, and you can share this post: https://goo.gl/S4kd5c

Jaldi 5 with Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi, illustrator of A Cloud of Trash!

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Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi is a mother to a talkative three year old and a furry four year old. She loves to tell all sorts of stories and draws pictures to keep sane. We got her to talk to us about the One Day, One Story for 2018, her mixed media illustrated picture book, A Cloud of Trash.


Why did you choose this particular style for "A Cloud of Trash"?
I have always liked working with mixed media. The story "A Cloud of Trash" lent itself beautifully to this medium. The impact of a huge cloud of garbage hanging over her head could only be brought about if it was, in fact, real garbage.


Have you always been environmentally conscious - would you share any particular changes you've made in your life/ lifestyle?
Garbage and managing our own waste has always been a subject close to my heart. I have worked on designing home composters in design school, and have always segregated, composted and recycled/ upcycled as much as possible.


What would you like kids to "take home" from the book?
If the book can start a conversation about waste and how we can each look after our surroundings, I think it is already on the right track. Instilling a sense of awareness of the problem is the first step.


What would a sequel to "A Cloud of Trash" be like? :) 
Maybe Cheekoo can go on a holiday to a big city and see a giant cloud of trash handing over everyone in the sky.



What's been your experience of One Day, One Story?
This is my first time with this event. I am eagerly looking forward to being a part of it.

Aaaaand you can come, watch Bhavana tell us the story of "A Cloud of Trash" this Saturday at Cubbon Park!

One Day, One Story: Public Events You Can Attend

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Like every year, thousands of #PBChamps will be conducting storytelling sessions across India and the world to celebrate International Literacy Day.

This year, our chosen storybook is A Cloud of Trash, written by Karanjeet Kaur, and illustrated by Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi. It’s a story about a little girl called Cheekoo, who has a cloud of trash hanging over her head. This makes her very, very unhappy, and as we follow her story, we learn a little more about trash, and about keeping our surroundings clean. The story works well for children across different age and reading levels, and can be followed by activities like recycling and reusing everyday waste.

We invite you to attend one of the public storytelling sessions and help Cheekoo get rid of her unhappiness!
The sessions are free!
Our flagship events are spread across 10 venues in 7 cities:

AHMEDABAD
Champion: Yogita Ahuja (Story Circle)
Venue: Story Circle - Centre for Storytelling and Learning. 655, Iscon Emporio, Satellite - Ahmedabad
Date and Time: 7th September, 6 pm - 6.30 pm

MUMBAI
Champions: Sitara Susheelan & Sarita Shetty
Venue: Kahaani Tree, Industry Manor, Second Floor, Above J. K. Banquet Hall, A. Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai
Date and Time: 8th September, 11 am - 12 pm


Champion: Karanjeet Kaur
Venue: Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum,  91 A, Rani Baug, Veer Mata Jijbai Bhonsle Udyan, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Marg, Byculla East,  Mumbai
Date and Time: 8th September, 4 pm - 5 pm

BANGALORE
Champion: Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi
Venue: Cubbon Park, Kasturba Road, Ambedkar Veedhi, Sampangi Rama Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka
Date and Time: 8th September, 11 am -12 pm

Champion: Aparna Athreya (Story Triangle)
Venue: Atta Galatta, 134, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru
Date and Time: 8th September, 11 am - 12 pm

DELHI
Champion: Your Story Bag
Venue: Oxford Book Store, N-81, Connaught Place, New Delhi
Date and Time: 8th September, 11.30 am - 12.30 pm

Champion: Swagata Sen Pillai 
Venue: Nehru Planetarium, Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg, Teen Murti Marg Area, New Delhi 
Date and Time: 8th September, 9.30 am onwards

CHANDIGARHChampion: The Tree of Life 
Venue: The  Tree of Life, #551, 33B, Chandigarh 
Date and Time: 5.30 pm - 6.30 pm

HYDERABAD
Champion: Story Arts India
Venue: Saptaparni, Plot No 21, Road No 8, Next to Kalpa School, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Date and Time: 15th September, TBC


BHUBANESWAR
Champion: Bakul Foundation
Venue: Bakul Library,  Plot 16, Satya Nagar, Near Big Bazar, Bhubaneswar
Date and Time: 8th September, 5 pm


* * * * *

Our champions are also conducting several storytelling sessions (which are open to the public) happening over the next few days. Please check the list of all the public events you can attend. Click on the links below to get more details about the event.

(This list is being updated as and when we hear of new events. Please check back to see if there are any events happening in your city)

BANGALORE
Champion: Taléscope
Venue: Aura Studio - The Halo of Health,  #93, 6th cross,2nd stage, BTM Layout, Bangalore
Date and Time: 7th September, 5.30 pm - 6.30 pm


Champion: Meenu Sivaramakrishnan (Katha Galatta)
Event link: Call 95385-70467 to register
Venue: #21016, Tower 21, 1st Floor, Prestige Shantiniketan, Near ITPL, Whitefield, Bangalore
Date and Time: 8th September, 11 am - 12 pm

Champion: Culture Place
Event link
Venue: JustBooks Jayanagar, 26th main, 4th Block, Jayanagar 9th Block, Bangalore
Date and Time: 8th September, 3.30 pm - 4.30 pm


Champion: Culture Place
Event link
Venue: JustBooks Banashankari, 972/1, 13th Cross, 16th Main, Banashankari II Stage, Bangalore
Date and Time: 9th September, 11 am - 12 pm 

Champion: Deepti Sehgal
Venue: JustBooks BTM Layout, 476, 6th Main Rd, Mico Layout, Stage 2, BTM 2nd Stage, BTM layout, Bangalore
Phone: 90191-26657
Date and Time: 8th September, 12:15 p.m to 1:15 p.m

CHENNAI
Champion: Iloveread 
Event link: Registration required
Venue: The Book Office, Ground Floor, No 9, 4th Street, Venkateshwara Nagar, Chennai

Champion: Jhoola Activity Centre
Event link
Venue: Jhoola Activity Centre, Nanganallur, Chennai
Date and Time: 8th September, 5 pm - 6 pm

Champion: Purple Patch

Event link
Venue: Reader's Cove Library, Perungudi, Chennai
Date and Time: 8th September, 5 pm onwards

Champion: Once Upon a Time 
Event link
Venue: Once Upon a Time Children’s Library, Ar Samriddhi Apartments, Mettukuppam, Chennai
Date and Time: 8th September, 11 am - 12.30 pm

Champion: Kadhai Kadhaiyaam
Venue: The Montessori House, Adambakkam, Chennai
Phone: 9003253726
Date and Time: 8th September,  11 am - 12:15 pm

Champion: Kadhai Kadhaiyaam
Venue: Bodhana Montessori School, Chennai
Date and Time: 15th September, 11 am - 12.30 pm


GOA
Champion: Leonard Fernandes/ The Dogears Bookshop
Event link
Venue: The Dogears Bookshop, Near the Asian Paints Store (Close to Menezes Nursing Home), Margao, Goa
Date and Time: 8th September, TBC

COIMBATORE
Champion: Dithi Phonics Kingdom
Call 9080222171 to register
Venue: Dithi Phonics Kingdom, 119, Thiru V.K Street, Krishnapuram, Saravanampatti P.O., Coimbatore
Date and Time: 8th September, 3 pm - 4.30 pm


DEHRADUN
Champion: Anubba The Storyteller
Event link
Venue: World Integrity Centre, 111/2 Rajpur Road, Dehradun
Date and Time: 8th September, 6 pm onwards


GURGAON
Champion: Treasure Trove Library
Event link
Venue: The Treasure Trove Library - Ipsaa Day Care, Sector 50, W Block, South City 2, Gurgaon
Date and Time: 9th September, 4 pm onwards


DELHI
Champion: Your Story Bag
Event link: Call 9080222171 to register
Venue: The Reading Caterpillar,  House No. 24, 2nd Floor, Block F, Nizamuddin West, New Delhi
Date and Time: 8th September, 11.30 am onwards

Over 5,000 Champions join hands with Pratham Books to spread the message of protecting the environment!

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Happy International Literacy Day!

This year, over 5,000 Champions will be celebrating International Literacy Day with a children’s story carrying a message for our time

One Day, One Story is our annual flagship event, a nationwide storytelling campaign aimed at helping children discover the joy of reading. This year, given that India was the global host of 2018 World Environment Day, with the theme of “Beat Plastic Pollution,” we chose a book that carried the message of pollution awareness — and action.


A Cloud of Trash is a charming children’s picture book written by Karanjeet Kaur and illustrated by Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi. It’s the story of a little girl called Cheekoo, who has a cloud of trash hanging over her head. This makes her very, very unhappy, and as we follow her story, we learn a little more about trash, about keeping our surroundings clean, and how everyday waste can, and should, be reused, recycled, or disposed of responsibly.


Several of our sessions began last week itself, like this one in Jammu & Kashmir: https://goo.gl/3vBQwp

This week has seen story sessions in Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh; a puppetry-and-music performance in Mumbai; and closer home, in Bangalore, schoolchildren have retold Cheekoo's story as comic books! 

Saturday, September 8, has sessions taking place all across India, and beyond. And celebrations will go on for a whole week longer, as the last scheduled sessions are next weekend, on September 15! 

Here's a list of flagship events and open events taking place across the country, if you'd like to attend, as well as spread the word: https://goo.gl/ZT68d3


You, too, can join the tribe of #PBChamps.



We also have a simplified (Reading Level 1) version of the story, as well as a completely wordless story.

Listen to the story on SoundCloud: English,Hindi,Kannada,Tamil,Gujarati, and Marathi

Enjoy Readalongs: English, and Hindi

Include activities: Here's a suggested activity list that you can use for your session:https://goo.gl/JLBWdm

Mail us: Send your photos, videos, or notes about your story sessions to champions@prathambooks.org We just love hearing from Champions! 


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