MU to hold seminar on children’s literature

Mumbai University (MU) is planning a two-day seminar on children’s literature from January 19. The seminar’s theme is ‘learning wisdom at their knee — what literature for children can teach us.’

The seminar is organised by the department of English. Authors from Philippines, New Zealand and Thailand are expected to attend the seminar. “Educationists and writers will critically discuss how children’s literature can be taught, and how it can be used to trigger their imagination,” said Coomi Vevaina, from the English department.

Gieve Patel, a renowned author, will also share his experiment on creative writing for children, which he had conducted at Rishi Valley School. “Representatives from media firms will also attend to discuss story-based learning systems from children’s literature,” said Vevaina.

Faculty from colleges will discuss themes like invention of adolescence in literature, children’s literature from page to stage, the art of story telling and so on. “The Children’s Authors Association in New Delhi has over 100 writers as members. This shows that children’s literature is a growing field. This seminar aims to recognise works of authors in this field,” said Vevaina.