Whether it was the works of Premchand or Hari Krishna Devsare, Hindi literature for kids was a popular medium to not just entertain the young readers but to team them about subjects and topics as diverse as mythology, science, history and more. But with changing preferences, lack of good writing and substandard promotional strategies, the demand for Hindi literature for kids has been witnessing stagnation and in some cases, a steady decline even.

“Almost every eminent writer in Hindi, starting from Premchand to Mohan Rakesh, has written children’s books. The problem is of availability, and inadequate efforts to market these books,” rues Manisha Chaudhry, head of content, Pratham Books.