Suddhasattwa Basu, the prominent illustrator, received the Big Little Book award for his contributions to Indian children’s literature at the Parag Utsav, which took place in New Delhi today, Saturday, June 29.
Parag, a Tata Trusts initiative, also released the fifth edition of the Parag Honour List, which includes 28 children’s books in English and 13 in Hindi, PTI reports.
The Big Little Book Award honours authors and artists for their contributions to Indian children’s literature, as well as “inspiring young readers to delve into the realms of wonder and exploration through their exemplary storytelling”.
Basu has designed and illustrated over 60 books, including Delhi Through the Seasons by Khushwant Singh, To Live in Magic by Ruskin Bond, and The Homecoming by Vijaya Sulaiman.
In addition, he has also written and illustrated several picture books for children, such as The Song of a Scarecrow, Whatever You Give, Ravan Remedy, and Chandernagor – A Burg of the Moon.
“Receiving this award has strengthened my conviction in the transformative power of storytelling through art. I am profoundly honoured by this recognition, as it has not only invigorated me personally but inspired others in the ecosystem to captivate young minds with their creative endeavours,” Basu said in a statement.
The Parag Honour List, which covers a wide range of themes and genres, aims to recognise the work of publishers “while acting as a compass, guiding children, parents, and teachers towards quality children’s literature”.
Speaking on the programme, Amrita Patwardhan, Tata Trusts’ Head of Education, stated that children’s books help children develop strong basic literacy abilities while also opening up new ways to make sense of the complex world around them.
The books in the list include How to Be a Writer by Ruskin Bond, Who’s There? by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, My Daddy and the Well by Jerry Pinto, Godam and Ek Kahani by Vinod Kumar Shukla, Betiyan Bhi Chahein Azadi by Kamla Bhasin, Tail Tale by Anushka Ravishankar, and Duniya Meri and Agar Magar by Gulzar.
Other authors that have made the list are Lavanya Karthik, Sushil Shukla, Vibha Batra, Nandini Nayar, Yuvan Aves, Prerna Singh Bindra, Varun Grover, P Sainath, Jacinta Kerketta, and Nandita da Cunha.
