A lovely article by Ms.Sai Priya Kodidala of Firstpost, detailing the wondrous journey of how Soviet books became so dear to Telugu readers.
You can read the full article here.
Article publish date: 19th September, 2020
Why are Soviet books so endearing? An excerpt from the article:
Apart from the illustrations, Soviet books’ appeal lies in its portrayal of realism. They acknowledge children’s experiences — including their challenges, emotions and anxieties. The books relationships between the rich and the poor, the compassionate and the cruel, but also left potential and ambiguity in human nature much like the terrifying yet kind Baba Yaga, the courage of the common people, compassion to be on the side of the distressed or the wide range characters which can be named Ivan.
Soviet books hold a special place in the story of Manchi Pustakam – the first children’s book that we published almost 20 years ago, was a bilingual Soviet book! Titled ‘The Mouse and the Pencil’, it continues to be available till date.
Manchi Pustakam mentioned in the article:
Today, Soviet children books might be found in their newly christened position as ‘collectibles’ or dusting away in public libraries. At stores and exhibitions, many parents look for more ‘practical’ books: ranging between encyclopaedias and competitive exam material. These shifts can make one wonder if the next generation of children will ever inculcate a habit of reading, leave alone in Telugu. Sporadic efforts are made by current publishing houses like Manchi Pustakam who fill the gap by republishing the archived Soviet children books for those who want to introduce to the next generations.
We have brought forward about 60 Soviet children’s books over the years. We have simplified the language to make it more accessible to current readers, experimented with font type, font sizes and also with some characters’ names.
As of today, we have 47 results under the Soviet Children’s Books tag on our website. These books continue to be well-received, with parents who grew up reading them now introducing them to their children!
