The Indian Subcontinent in Literature for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliography of English-Language Books

(Hardback)

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This bibliography examines literature for young people concerning the Indian subcontinent and associated areas: Bangladesh; the Himalayan kingdoms of Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, and Tibet; India; Pakistan; and Sri Lanka. It presents the dual perspective of authors native to the region as well as non-native authors, mainly western, and it reflects the rich folklore and traditional culture of the subcontinent, its chequered history of civilizations and colonizations, and post-independence efforts to foster pride in traditions and stimulate confidence for facing modern challenge. An extensive introductory essay traces the development of children's literature in the region since 1947 in the context of historical, political, social, and economic influences and reviews the major themes and trends in western children's literature about the subcontinent. Included are all available pertinent books written in or translated into English for preschool to twelfth-grade students. The more than 900 entries are organized into five chapters according to country or subregion, and each chapter is subdivided by genre: traditional literature, fiction (historical, realistic, and fantasy), poetry, drama, biography and autobiography, and informational books. Further access is afforded by indexes of authors, illustrators, titles, and subjects. The annotations provide plot summary, thematic analysis, and literary criteria, the annotarous also considers a work's sensitivity to multicultural and international issues.

Reviews

"Highly recommended for all school and public libraries."-ARBA 93
"Khorana, who specializes in adolescent and children's literature and in developing multicultural curricula, compiled this bibliography on five areas: Bangladesh, the Himalayan kingdoms (Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet), India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is a generously annotated list of children's books, preschool to grade 12, that were either written in or translated into English. Its purpose is to highlight each country's own unique children's literature to promote national pride and culture. . . . No previously published work provides such an extensive and sensitive reflection of the Indian subcontinent's rich folklore and traditional culture. As a selection tool, this book's usefulness is limited, since so many of the books are either out of print or will be difficult to purchase in the U.S. . . . [A]s a reference guide to the children's literature of the Indian subcontinent for teachers, scholars, and librarians, Khorana's book should be considered by academic and school libraries where there is an interest in this part of the world."-Reference Books Bulletin
Highly recommended for all school and public libraries.-ARBA 93
Khorana, who specializes in adolescent and children's literature and in developing multicultural curricula, compiled this bibliography on five areas: Bangladesh, the Himalayan kingdoms (Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet), India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is a generously annotated list of children's books, preschool to grade 12, that were either written in or translated into English. Its purpose is to highlight each country's own unique children's literature to promote national pride and culture. . . . No previously published work provides such an extensive and sensitive reflection of the Indian subcontinent's rich folklore and traditional culture. As a selection tool, this book's usefulness is limited, since so many of the books are either out of print or will be difficult to purchase in the U.S. . . . [A]s a reference guide to the children's literature of the Indian subcontinent for teachers, scholars, and librarians, Khorana's book should be considered by academic and school libraries where there is an interest in this part of the world.-Reference Books Bulletin

Author Bio

MEENA KHORANA is Professor of Literature and Composition at Coppin State College, Baltimore. She formerly taught at Indiana University at South Bend and Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne. She specializes in adolescent and children's literature and developing multicultural curricula. Her publications have appeared in Children's Literature, Writer and Illustrator, and the Children's Literature Association's Quarterly and Proceedings. Dr. Khorana has also contributed articles to Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults and the Modern Language Association's Teaching Children's Literature. She is currently working on an annotated bibliography of Africa in children's literature.