***Meanwhile we have our own Indian writer R. K. Narayan giving us the fun-filled times in Malgudi, his imaginary locale, where Swamy and Friends grew up. This book published in 1935 was an instant success because the author's excellent understanding of children creates an immediate rapport with the reader. Narayan is merely narrating a series of incidents in a small town in southern India but still he manages to capture the essence of human nature with all its variety. This book was the first of its kind in Indian English writing and is still subscribed as supplementary reader in schools and junior colleges. Then there is Professor Tolkien who wanted to give children fairy stories which will introduce them side by side to poetry, history and the sciences.****
THE term "classic" cuts across all groups and categories and the books which are considered as classics have endured generation after generation. Theyare characterised by the excellence in style.characterisation or significant themes and university of appeal. For these reasons they serve as models for new writers. Books like Tom Sawyer or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are not likely to go out of fashion or what Is more important, out of the hands of Chip* en. Both Alice and Tom belonged X 19th century which was said to be I A golden age of children’s literature.
Our own 20th century witnessed a children's book boom and the books that have survived are those that are still read by children and adults. To put It simply we can quote Ezra Pound who said, "A classic is news that stays news." Frances Hodgson Burnett brought out her last but most important book The Secret Garden In 1910 which has endured in children’s reading lists mainly because of the author s power of imagination. This story of unfriendly little Mary and a country lad Colin is not only about bringing a garden back in bloom but also restoring Mary’s cousin to a happy healthy life. If there are lessons on self reliance and cooperation. it is not premediated by the author.
Children who love to watch things grow, enjoy this book which stresses on the pleasures of achievement and self worth. A.A. Milne s Winnie the Pooh (1962) books were spectacularly successful when first published not only with cbldren but also with adults. One of the j/casures of parenthood a critic con-
*ssed. was reading aloud Pooh the ( ear’s antics for his children. The characters are humanised toys rather than animals and the setting is an ideal place called Hundred Acre Wood presided over by the boy. Christopher Robin, to whom the animals - piglet, Pooh the bear,donkey Eyeore, and Tigger the tiger - go for help from time to time. The adventures of these comrades have amused readers all over the world and still continue to do so.
Meanwhile we have our own Indian writer R. K. Narayan giving us the fun-filled times in Malgudl. his Imaginary locale, where Swamy and Friends grew up. This book published In 1935 was an
Instant success because the author’s excellent understanding of children creates an immediate rapport with the reader. Narayan is merely narrating a series of incidents in a small town in southern India but still he manages to capture the essence of human nature with all its variety. This book was the first of Its kind in Indian English writing and is still subscribed as supplementary reader in schools and junior colleges. Then there Is Professor Tolkien who wanted to give children fairy stories which will introduce them side by side to poetry, history and the sciences.
The Hobbit (1937) is fairy story and deals with the "little people ”. Bilbo Baggins among them is a peaceful fellow who Is persuaded to destroy the dragon Smaug who is guarding his ill-gotten wealth and terrorising the people around. Bilbo wins in the end by his
brand of courage and perseverence. The Hobbit has been a prolonged success as a literary fairy tale" and in the United States you could actually buy, a few years ago. buttons which said Tolkien is Hobbit forming!.
The Diary of Young Girl (1947) by Anne Frank. This classic non- fiction became the best known personal memoir of the Holocaust years. Anne was
barely 13 when she began writing her private thoughts. Born in a Jewish family she was In hiding from the persecuting Nazis in Amsterdam along with her sister, parents and four others. Two years later they were all captured and sent to concentration camps where Anne died in a typhus epidemic. However her diary survived to tell the world the horrors of the Nazi regime and remains a powerful document of indictment of the Infamous Hitler's regime.
E.B. White s Charlotte Web (1952) is short but a straight forward story that has weathered the passage of time because of its endearing characterisation -Little pig Wilbur - delighted successive generations of children who still c^,-tinue to enjoy the craftsmanship of E.B. White. Charlotte the spider who tries to save Wilbur appears almost human; a loyal intelligent, warm, character and
not surprisingly most young readers are tearful when she dies. But life continues through her offspring and the barnyard life goes on gently reminding us that passage of life is inevitable. All things pass and change and childhood itself is only a brief season and the reader is enriched by the truths he or she will learn from this book which is for all seasons.
A perfectly constructed and proportioned work is Tom's Midnight Garden (1958) by Philllppa Pearce.which Is worthy of joining the classical gallery of modern fiction. Although Tom seems to go backward and forward in time the reader is never confused for a moment. Tom goes to stay with his aunt and uncle where he d: overs the magic garden that once bei .ged to the House. His playmate is a Victorian girl called Hatty whom he meets every night when the clock strikes thirteen. Hatty grows very fast during these visits and on the day Tom leaves for home he realises that she is none other than old Mrs. Bartholomew who lives upstairs to whom the building belongs. Critic Townsend rightly calls this book a "masterpiece of children’s literature", a book that should be included in all reading lists. Historical fiction is a genre which can be highly rewarding for
youthful readers. Rosemary Sutcliffe. British writer for young people, has adroitly handled fictionalised history, particularly the Roman period in Britain and the earlier Dark Ages. She has written a number of very entertaining, informative books set tn this era. Dawn Wind (1961) is an outstanding piece of writing which will surely find a permanent niche in the realm of chil-
dren's fiction in the days to come. Owain is a young Briton whose family has been wiped out by the Saxon invasions and he becomes a Saxon thrall. But the story ends on a note of hope as there is a likely union between the Saxons and the Britons. A Welsh statesman remarks although there may have been "the last gleam of a lantern far behind but there is also the hope of other light as far ahead... it is not the dawn as yet. Qwain but I think the dawn wind is stirring". Coming of Christianity and peace between warring clans are made comprehensible by Sutcliffes intense mode of writing which also conveys the values of loyalty and friendship in her story schemata.
Raold Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate factory (1964) is so well known that the book needs no introduction. It belongs to the realm of fantasy but certainly belongs to a different plane from
the run of the mill fantastic stories. Willy Wonka's vast chocolate empire and the four spoilt children are enough inducements for children not to forget this lively book. It is a book which children will choose on their own as Dahll is extremely readable and fcr a while his name remained synonymous with substanial children's books. Virginia Hamilton. 1975 Newbery award winner, Is a black writer whose books touch the readers heart by the author s straightforward method of story telling.
Her Sweet whispers. Brother Rush (1982) Is a ghost story with a difference. The ghnst element is there only to stress the human relationship factor. The problems of single parenthood, drug abuse and genetically Inherited diseases are discussed, but the story is not simply a problem novel. It is a heart warming story of a young girl coming to terms with her life by understanding completely her chequered past. The book proves to be a compelling read and for that reason Is likely to stand the test of time. I would like to conclude my list of "Classic for all times from the 20th century" with our own Ruskin Bond's Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra (1991). Autobiograpical in nature these tender nostalgic miniatures by Bond have won the Sahitya Academy award for the author. R’skin Bond recreates his empathy Widi nature and the pool mountain children in the form of r norablc short stories which speaks to the child in everyone.
The appeal of the classic may remain for a surprisingly long time. Certain characteristics like imaginative power, readability and the ability to reach out to the "inner child" are perhaps common to all enduring children's books, including those mentioned. Time, an authentic guideAlways, will ultimately tell.
Coursety oj “iiuiu