Guba books, a dual language children's book publisher and online store, organised an event called 'Stories in the Park!' in Justice Shahabuddin Park in the capital's Gulshan neighbourhood, in collaboration with Lets Read, The Asia Foundation, and Bookworm Bangladesh. The event saw various children's books launched in both English and Bangla like Ami Bokul, Sun Moon Secret, and Where are the Chonchols? 

"It was in Shantiniketon that Rabindranath Tagore envisioned learning amidst nature. And that's what we should encourage our children to do; to be more out in the open, engage in reading books instead of cooped up inside the house all the time. We also want them to read books that portray our cultural background and their inspiring sides," said Shazia Omar, author of the book Sun Moon Secret, which was illustrated by the French illustrator Sophie Cousinié, tells the story of young twin sisters Surya and Chandra who wield magical powers to save their village from droughts, while discussing the theme of exploring one's true potential. 

Photo: Guba Books

Any parent will tell you how much they would want their children to develop the healthy habit of reading and spending quality time outside their homes. Unfortunately, parents in Dhaka don't have many options as there's a dearth of quality books for the children to read that is available locally, or an ideal playground.

 So, it was heartening to see efforts are being made to encourage children towards a healthy living and make reading a part of their habit growing up. True to the theme of this event, a serene corner of the park was picked to set up the premises of the event, with an abundance of open areas, children were seen running around, inquiring about the kinds of books that were on display and when they got tired, they were treated with book reading sessions and musical performances!

Photo: Guba Books

"The goal of Guba Books is to publish books for kids. Since there aren't many options for kids to have fun in the city, we planned a book launch event with a variety of entertaining activities. By going to the Guba books website, you can purchase the books, additionally the books will be accessible in other book stores in the near future," said Raya Rahman, Founder and Publisher of Guba Books.

Essentials:
Guba Books website: https://gubabooks.com/