Zeeny Jhelumi says it is easier to interact with kids and understand their psychology while reading with them. She speaks to Divya Kaushik about the relevance of interesting graphics for children
Red Riding Hood has nothing mysterious left about her life. Pinocchio’s story is too common and Cindrella and her step sisters are not so charming and cool. Speak to any four-year-old about the price, princesses and devils’ tales we grew up listening to and he will have his own reasons to shun them off. Tiny tots are too smart and logical for fairy tales and need more interesting fantasy tales to engage with and enjoy. Therefore, modern authors have been coming up with innovative ideas and concepts to make the present crop of kids interested in book reading. Zeeny Jhelumi is a known name in Delhi. She is as much known for her writings as for making storytelling a trend in the Capital. She came up with The Storytellers in 2008 to make parents aware how important it is to interact with children with a story. It not only helps in understanding a child’s psychology better but also gives you a chance to interact with your kid.
“Children should be exposed to books at an early age. Even if a toddler chews and tears books, it helps him build a bond with them. Parents should read with kids and even read to them often to make them understand how important they are in our lives. Working parents hardly find time to spend with children but a discussion over reading should always be encouraged at home,” says Zeeny, who recently launched her book The Glass Rainbow at the Claridges. It is a picture book and she says that picture book works wonders in letting a child speak of his own thoughts and imaginations.
“My most interesting observation with children has been that when you communicate with them through pictures or tell them a story with the help of pictures they will point out the minutest thing on the picture. It shows how attentive they are and how curious they are. For example, if I am showing them a picture of a boy playing in the garden, a kid might not be interested in the boy or what he is doing, he can take note of a little insect in the background and would ask about that. So through picture stories you also get a chance to inform children about so many topics,” she says.
Zeeny feels that today parents should understand that it is not important for a kids’ story to have a moral lesson. “It should be all about fantasy. Children think differently and it is better to let them be in their fantasy world till certain age. When parents only try to preach through stories children try to avoid them. Once I asked kids in my class what they want to be. They came up with answers like dinosaurs, Tinker Bell. They think very differently and we should help them with more books with some interesting fantasy tales,” she adds. Zeeny says that children literature in India has come a long way and books are no longer confined to conventional tales and themes. “But we still need to work more and think out-of-the-box to make children interested,” she ends.