Amar Chitra Katha has joined hands with HarperCollins India to bring the iconic folktales of India from its comic books in a new format for younger readers. The collaboration is set to publish a first-time adaptation of popular ACK comics into a narrative format for young children.
Each book in the Amar Chitra Katha Folktales Series is adapted from the original Amar Chitra Katha comics and aims to bring the reader closer to the thoughts and traditions that make up our India’s identity.
“India’s rich tapestry is woven together by her stories. These tales can be from the great epics and mythology, or from the ancient history of this rich land. But sometimes the stories of the people, passed down from generation to generation, told at bedtimes and celebrations, in schools and homes – are the most astounding. These are the folktales that are part of the great collective inheritance from our past generations,” a statement by the publishers said.
President and CEO of Amar Chitra Katha Preeti Vyas is excited about this first of its kind partnership with HarperCollins India. She said, “Since our comic books are typically read by children in the eight to fourteen age group, we believe that these early chapter books will help us take these engaging stories to a younger age group, and open up our treasure trove of stories to a new audience.”
The series is put together by the writers at Amar Chitra Katha and brings together some of the greatest folktales in the ACK catalogue.
HarperCollins Children’s Books Publisher Tina Narang remarked, “Amar Chitra Katha has such a strong history of publishing for children, generations have grown up reading ACK comics. So, we are delighted to present a first-time adaptation of these popular comics into a narrative format for young children. We are launching this new initiative with the Amar Chitra Katha Folktales Collection.”
Founded in 1967, Amar Chitra Katha has been a household name for generations of Indians. For decades, it has been retelling the stories of India, from the great epics, mythology, history, literature, oral folktales, and other sources, for young Indian children in the form of comics, providing a veritable route to their roots.