The Neev Book Award for distinguished children’s literature aims to recognize outstanding writing that leads to a fuller understanding of India, Indian lives, and Indian stories.
This award aims to promote and encourage high-quality children’s literature from India.
In 2018, the Neev Literature Festival extended its vision to promote and encourage high-quality children’s literature from India.
The Neev Book Award 2018 was given in three categories: Picture Book, Young Readers, and Young Adults. The winners of the Neev Book Award 2018 award were:
I Will Save My Land by Rinchin, illustrated by Sagar Kolwankar and published by Tulika Books (PB); Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins and published by Duckbill (YR), and Queen of Ice by Devika Rangachari and published by Duckbill (YA). Winners were honoured with an award and cash prize of ₹1,00,000.
The 2019 Neev Book Award will recognise outstanding literature in four distinct categories.
Award categories and criteria
Picture Books
Illustrated books for children up to age six for children up to age six that display an understanding and respect for a young child’s sensibilities. A picture book must be a maximum of 48 pages in length, and it should provide the reader with a complementary visual experience. Picture books can narrate a story through both text and images, or only images.
I Need to Pee
by Neha Singh, Meenal Singh & Erik Egerup
Machher Jhol
by Richa Jha & Sumanta Dey
Red
by Sagar Kolwankar
Neel on Wheels
by Lavanya Karthik & Habib Ali
Sadiq Wants to Stitch
by Mamta Nainy & Niloufer Wadia
Sera Learns to Fly
by Vinitha & Nirzara Verulkar
The Clever Tailor
by Srividhya Venkat & Nayantara Surendranath
The Tale of Babban Hajjam
by Ira Saxena & Mayukh Ghosh
Thukpa for All
by Praba Ram, Sheela Preuitt & Shilpa Ranade
Emerging Readers
Books for audiences between the ages of 7 and 9. The book must address this audience both in terms of the appropriateness of the content, the level of the language, the length, and the age of the protagonist. These books may or may not have illustrations; they may be picture books or chapter books. We recommend that these books be between 7,000 and 20,000 words, with a maximum length of 20,000 words. Children in grades 1 to 3 should be able to read these books independently. Examples of books for emerging readers include “The Hole Books” by Duckbill or “The Magic Treehouse” books.
Flying with Grandpa
by Madhuri Kamat
Petu Pumpkin Cheater Peter
by Arundhati Venkatesh
The Adventures of Tootsie and Lama
by Stuti Agarwal
The Adventures of Mooli and the Bully on Wheels
by Asha Nehemiah
The Ammuchi Puchi
by Sharanya Manivannan
When Jiya Met Urmila
by Shabnam Minwalla
Junior Readers
Books for audiences between the ages of 10 and 12. The book must address the audience both in terms of the appropriateness of content, the level of language, and age of the protagonist. Children in grades four to seven should be able to read these books independently. Examples of books for this category include Tiger Boy, by Mitali Perkins, and Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry.
Ahimsa
by Supriya Kelkar
Painters Potters Cooks and Kings
by Subhadra Sen Gupta
The Cloudfarers
by Stephen Alter
The Curious Case of the Sweet and Spicy Sweetshop
by Nandini Nayar
The Dwarf, the Girl and the Holy Goat
by Cordis Paldano
Young Adults
Books for audiences between the ages of 13 and 16. The book must address this audience both in terms of the appropriateness of content, the level of language, and age of the protagonist. Young Adult books may explore more mature content appropriate for teenagers. Examples of books in this category include Queen of Ice, by Devika Rangachari, and What Maya Saw, by Shabnam Minwalla.
Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush
by Anita Vachharajani
Indira
by Devapriya Roy
Pashmina
by Nidhi Chanani
This is Me, Mayil
by Niveditha Subramaniam and Sowmya Rajendran
When Morning Comes
by Arushi Raina
