100

The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Awards 2017 will be announced on January 16, 2017 at The Lady Andal School in Chennai during The Hindu Lit for Life. Read what the shortlisted authors and illustrators have to say about making it this far.

The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Awards is for children’s books published in India. It was introduced to promote excellence in children’s writing and illustration. The award aims to acknowledge innovative publishing trends, and recognise children’s literature as an independent and important field.

This is the second year the award will be given and the winners will be felicitated at The Hindu Lit for Life festival which will take place in Chennai on January 14, 15 and 16, 2017. This year, the awards will be given in two categories — Best Author and Best Illustrator. Each award will carry a cash prize of Rs. 50,000, a trophy and a citation.

The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award is the first in India to recognise different genres in children’s publishing and to honour authors and illustrators for their invaluable contribution. The Hindu Lit for Life showcases the best of Indian literature and now provides a platform to promote excellence in Indian children’s books.

The Goodbooks website is a repository for Indian children’s books and provides a space to all those engaged with children to discourse on children’s literature.

Here are the books that have made it to the shortlist!

Best Author:

Shalini Srinivasan for Gangamma's Gharial (Penguin)

Ritu Khoda and Vanita Pai for Eye Spy Indian Art (Takshila Publications)

Arefa Tehsin for Wild in the Backyard (Penguin)

Andaleeb Wajid for When She Went Away (Duckbill)

Best Illustrator:

Taposhi Ghoshal for The Story of Hanuman (Red Turtle)

Priya Kuriyan for Princess Easy Pleasy (Karadi Tales)

Mihir Joglekar for Cricket for the Crocodile (Penguin)

Shrujana Niranjani Shridhar for Ammu's Kawandi (Katha)

Here’s what the shortlisted authors and illustrators have to say:

Shalini Srinivasan: I’m absolutely thrilled and much of the credit goes to Archana Sreenivasan’s fantastical art.

Ritu Khoda and Vanita Pai: We are committed to making visual art more accessible, enjoyable and relevant. We made Eye Spy Indian Art keeping in mind that Indians have access to most international titles and expect a certain quality from books on art.

Arefa Tehsin: I feel as happy as a clam in high water! The fact that the award is in collaboration with The Hindu, a daily that I have loved and regarded always, makes it all the more special.

Andaleeb Wajid: I’m thrilled beyond words. It’s the first time I have been shortlisted for any award and I still can’t believe it.

Taposhi Ghoshal: I am extremely happy and honoured. Am delighted that thisfield of art,'Illustrating children's book' is being recognised on such a big scale in India.

Priya Kuriyan: It's wonderful and this book is special as it's been written by an author I've collaborated umpteen number of times with and have always enjoyed working with.

Mihir K. Joglekar: I have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating on this wonderful short story. I decided to bring variety into the visual storytelling by playing with different angles and compositions.

Shrujana Niranjani Shridhar: I feel honoured and grateful that the book has been shortlisted for The Hindu Good Book Awards.

The Awards will be given away at The Hindu Lit for Life in Chennai in January 2017.