How Indian bookstores are luring young readers back with stories, events and screen-free spaces

The sprightly 60-year-old owner, Sangeeta Bhansali, nods in appreciation. “Children are made readers in the laps of parents. Forget what comes out of vocabulary and understanding, there are behavioural changes,” she says, “When you read to them, you are trying to make them sit still and listen. That stillness is important. Our own brains these days are constantly jumping from picture to picture because of gadgets. But when you read to them, they have to close their eyes, listen to your voice and imagine.”

As the digital age catches up, parents are turning to the most analogue, tactile reading format available. The ‘de-screening’ impulse, combined with other factors, has fostered an encouraging growth in India’s children’s books market.

At Kahani Tree

“Without screens, it’s easier to get your children to read books,” says Hanja Chaudhary, a 32-year-old mother. Ever since their daughter Krishvi was born, Hanja nurtured a love for reading with flashcards, black-and-white books and storybooks. “We made it a habit to read to her every night,” she says. At 3, Krishvi, only seldom watches TV and is completely mobile-free.

And if judging books by the cover is a thing, then David Walliams (who shares the same illustrator as Roald Dahl), and Angie Sage (with her Septimus Heap series) are winning hearts with their colourful displays. Catchy titles like ‘The Girl Who Drank The Moon’ or ‘Llama Llama Red Pajama’ do the trick as well, says Sharvani Pandit, Editorial Head at Bahrisons Booksellers in Delhi.

Parallelly, there’s a growing demand for homegrown stories. Title Waves’ Executive Director Trushant Tamgaonkar notes that many parents seek books by publishers like Tara and Tulika and Amar Chitra Katha (ACK), hoping children stay connected to Indian culture. Sanya Verma, Commissioning Editor for Children and YA at Hachette, says mythology-inspired books also draw steady interest, with The Gita for Children still a bestseller.

While Indian authors and publishers have risen to meet this appetite, Verma flags, “Unfortunately, breakout sellers from new and upcoming authors are few and far between.”

Manoj Satti, Senior Vice President (Product, Sales & Marketing) at Penguin Random House India, acknowledges that “ongoing efforts of schools and parents to cultivate reading habits” drove significant growth in children’s publishing. He also notes that the reading culture in major cities is evolving and could gradually extend to smaller towns and cities.

Recent statistics shared by NielsenIQ BookScan show that ‘Children & Young Adult’ books have registered a sustained double-digit growth in recent years. The segment contributes 25 per cent to the overall trade market. Satti credits online platforms like Amazon for the expansion. At Penguin, the children and YA (young adult) segment contributes around a quarter of overall sales.

While online channels, undoubtedly, improve accessibility, bookstores today position themselves as digital-free harbours that offer a tangible and immersive experience. Bookstores are going all out to attract young readers with a host of events, such as school field trips, storytelling or reading sessions, and author interactions.

For instance, Crossword, one of India’s leading booksellers, has children-focused initiatives like Book-A-Thon, featuring interactive workshops and the Crossword’s Kids Club that meets weekly. Last month, Crossword released its first-ever original children’s comic book series, Sochu. It follows seven-year-old Sochu as he learns about life and the world and all their oddities.

“Parents and children don’t always know what they want. When they visit, they can touch and feel books and pick what they like. You can’t do that online,” explains Tamgaonkar. Over the years, this Bandra-based nook has seen an uptick in its children’s book sales, which now comprise 40 per cent of overall sales.

Meanwhile, Kitab Khana, a boutique bookshop in the heart of south Mumbai, boasts of a unique children’s literature collection sourced from the London Book Fair. T Jagath, Chief Operating Officer, who believes that the online space cannot completely capture the children’s book market, says, “Everyone wants to go through the book first. The display is the USP”.

Hanja and Manish Chaudhary with their daughter Krishvi at Crossword, Kemps Corner

The children’s books market spans a wide range of genres and formats. According to Medha Bose, Senior Manager (Product) at Hachette India, low-priced early-learning board books (on alphabets and numbers) remain major drivers of growth, but “there is also a thirst for more picture books with strong narratives and good production quality”. Legacy brands such as Enid Blyton, JK Rowling and Asterix comics continue to dominate fiction bestsellers among older kids, while, at Penguin, the top-selling category, ‘Middle Grade fiction’, comprises celebrated authors such as Sudha Murthy, Ruskin Bond, Jeff Kinney, Geronimo Stilton and Rick Riordan.

Among popular examples, Pandit points to Roshani Chokshi’s Aru Shah series, which reimagines the Pandavas as young girls, and Bhakti Mathur’s Amma Tell Me books, which make mythological and religious figures accessible to children. Her one frustration, however, is that we are so intent on teaching that we forget children can learn without being told what to think. She cites Monkey Puzzle by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler as an example of storytelling that trusts young readers. The story celebrates differences through a lost baby monkey’s search for his mother with help from a butterfly.

Bhansali is doing her bit to fill the void in contemporary Indian children’s literature, which she recognised nearly two decades ago. At the time, she met Chennai-based publisher Tulika, who was producing books that were uniquely Indian in their artwork and language (Hindi and regional). In 2006, Bhansali began Kahani Tree to provide visibility to these independent publishers. Today, she hosts 23 Indian publishers and has helped build libraries across states. “I like to call it the mirror and window collection. Indian books act as mirrors to children’s surroundings, and international titles offer a window into the world beyond,” says Bhansali.

Take, for instance, Ashok Rajagopalan’s Gajapati Kulapati series, which follows the adventures of a lovable elephant whose sneeze can cause as much chaos as laughter. Or Manjula Padmanabhan’s Where’s The Cat, a delightful seek-and-find story. In these books, the rhythms of everyday Indian life unfold around the reader, whether it’s a banana-seller losing his load or the hustle and bustle of a local market.

This freedom to explore stories not only builds curiosity but also opens doors to wider conversations. Bhansali’s shelves, for instance, include books on gender, caste, disability, and loss that help parents tackle difficult subjects. “When children read books that celebrate our differences and talk about empathy, it helps them become better citizens and human beings,” says Bhansali.