Parag, an initiative of the Tata Trusts, which early this year was announced as a partner for the India chapter of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), a non-governmental organization accredited by UNESCO which supports a global network of members from 84 countries on children’s literature, will build on Parag’s extensive network of key players.
Siddharth Sharma, CEO, Tata Trusts, said, “Our partnership with IBBY marks the latest step in our journey towards spurring access to quality storybooks for children and youth, reaffirming our promise to encourage children to embrace reading for joy.” The Parag initiative, since its inception in 2005, has been dedicated to fostering reading habits and promoting literature amongst children and young adults in India.
This collaboration presents an exciting opportunity for authors and illustrators of Indian children’s literature, as winners of Parag’s Big Little Book Award may be nominated for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. Books recognized on the Parag Honour List will be eligible for nomination to the IBBY Honour List.
Carolina Ballester, Executive Director, IBBY added, “The work developed by Parag is very much in line with the mission pursued by IBBY since its creation in 1953, both in terms of reading promotion projects and valorization of quality children’s books. Our recent partnership with Parag has already taken shape with the nomination of several Indian titles for the IBBY Collection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. This collection travels to book fairs and to our sections around the world and is therefore one of the many ways to give visibility to Indian children’s books internationally. We look forward to IBBY India, Parag, becoming an important player in our community, which is deployed in 84 countries, as well as playing an important role in the Asia-Pacific regional network.”
