My First Shloka Book Collection (AdiDev Press) is a collection of six board books, each dedicated to a specific deity- Durga, Shiva, Vishnu, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Ganesha. Each book is vividly illustrated with beautiful images of the God or the Goddess, that also complement the words, and resonate with young readers. One of the striking features in terms of the visual language that I noticed was that the artwork includes images wherein the Gods and Goddesses are interacting with young children or are around them. For example, in the prayer dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, she is shown blessing a young girl who has just graduated and is wearing the modern graduation outfit. This gives a very current feel to the book. It increases the accessibility of the book for modern readers.
The Shlokas are written in the Devanagari script, in English (with apt translations) as well as in the form of transliterations. This makes it more inclusive for readers. A reader can thus read the words in Hindi, read the transliteration of the words in English script as they would sound when recited, and also read the translation of the shlokas in English. This gives an in-depth access to the verse as it sounds and also an access to what the verse means.
Many of these little verses form a part of daily rituals and prayers in families. They are also sung and recited in community festivals and religious celebrations. Children (and adults!) pick these up and hum or recite them without really knowing what they mean. My First Shloka Book Collection is an entry point into appreciating the meaning of these chants and prayers. The quality board books and the evergreen content will surely stand the rest of time! This makes for a wonderful gift as well!
