A GLIMPSE of rural life cannot be summarised with scribbles of hay, sun and a tractor. There is a need for children in urban India to get a glimpse of real stories from the part of the country that is occupied by over 65 per cent of its population. Over the years, children's literature has done little to bridge this gap in representation, and independent publishing house Karadi Tales' new chapter books is a step to remedy that.

In collaboration with the digital journalism platform People's Archive of Rural India (PARI), founded by Magsaysay awardee P Sainath, the publishers have launched five titles meant for readers between 10 and 15 years of age under the imprint Minmini Reads. Each narrative is based on reportage by PARI's journalists. Through the titles — No Nonsense Nandhini by Aparna Karthikeyan, No Ticket, Will Travel by Subuhi Jiwani, Coming Home by Priti David, A Big Splash by Nivedha Ganesh, and House of Uncommons by Vishaka George — children will be acquainted with stories of people like Chandra Subramanian, a single mother who runs a Sampangi farm in Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu or Dhivya, a young farmer, who swims her way to the Paralympics, having prior experience only in the tank and lake in her village.