The Yellow Bird by Lila Majumdar, translated by Kamala Chatterjee.HJBRL – A Nonsense Story by Sukumar Ray, translated by Jayinee Basu.
Wordygurdyboom! The Nonsense World of Sukumar Rayby Sukumar Ray, translated by Sampurna Chattarji. by Sukumar Ray, translated by Jadavpur University Translators’ Collective The Crazy Tales of Pagla Dashu and Co. The Select Nonsense of Sukumar Ray by Sukumar Ray, translated by Sukanta Chaudhuri. Rhymes of Whimsy – The Complete Abol Tabolby Sukumar Ray, translated by Niladri Roy. Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and Other Stories by Upendrakishore Roychoudhury, translated by Swagata Deb. The list can serve as a starting point for exploring the classic and contemporary works in Bengali children’s literature. Even though it has flourished since it began its journey in print, Bengali children’s literature still remains largely unheard of outside of the Bengali-speaking world.įor World Kidlit Month this September, I have compiled a list of 20 books which have been translated to English. The evolution of Bengali children’s literature since then has been a vibrant one, with authors experimenting with a wide range of genres – adventure, nonsense, mystery, horror, science fiction, fantasy, history, and even sport. evil motifs, made way for a reconnection with Bengali oral tradition - a whole array of human and animal characters, the fantastical, the supernatural, all came together to introduce an element of entertainment in children’s literature. Thakurmar Jhuli, while still moralising in nature with its good vs. The publication of Thakurmar Jhuli, a collection of traditional Bengali folklore compiled by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumder, was perhaps the pivotal moment which marked a move away from purely religious and instructive texts intended for children. While Bengali children’s literature was still emerging as a separate category 200 years ago, with the establishment of the School Books Society in Calcutta, books printed for children were primarily didactic in nature. 
Revisiting it after many years, I find much of its content outdated and problematic, but I can understand its wide appeal when it was first published, and for many decades after. If there is a bookshelf in any Bengali household, there is likely to be a copy of Thakurmar Jhuli. The world of Bengali children’s literature is waiting for you!
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