The Goa Book Fair & Children’s Literature Festival is all set to bring together book lovers and storytellers
RAMANDEEP KAUR
Imagine a place where children can enjoy stories, meet their favourite authors, and explore books that spark their curiosity. That’s exactly what they’ll get at the Goa Book Fair & Children’s Literature Festival, scheduled from February 27 to March 3.
A new addition to the annual Goa Book Fair, which has been running for two years, the Children’s Literature Festival is organised by The Dogears Bookshop, Margao, in collaboration with Publishing Next.
According to co-founder of The Dogears Bookshop and the festival Leonard J Fernandes, it aims to create a dedicated space where children can engage with books, interact with authors, and develop a love for reading.
He believes children remain drawn to good stories and engaging illustrations. “They’re selective about what they read and often influenced by their friends’ choices. They prefer books that engage them, which they can relate to and understand,” he says.
Further, he stresses the importance of children’s literature in developing a love for reading. “Studies show that reading a wide range of books helps children think critically, research better, and spot misinformation,” he says, adding that reading also helps children develop empathy, making them more aware of the world around them.
The festival will include workshops, storytelling, cosplay, poetry slams, music sessions, and more. “We have around 25 to 30 sessions per day. The full schedule is available on the website,” he says.
Among the 150 planned sessions, a few cater to adults, including discussions on encouraging reading among digitally native children, enhancing pedagogies for those with special needs, and creatively retelling classic stories. The festival will also host the paperback release of Remo’s biography.
Authors from Goa and across the country, including Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi will be a part of the festival. In fact, several Konkani authors, including Prashanti Talpankar, Harsha Shetye, Tanvi Bambolkar, and Anwesha Singbal, will take part, with 10 to 12 sessions dedicated to Konkani. “We believe any event in Goa should include both Konkani- and English-speaking children. Although this is our first edition, we are focused on improving and expanding in the future,” says Fernandes.
Alongside the festival, visitors to the book fair will see more stalls this time—up from 32 last year, with organisers confident of reaching 50. A food court is also being set up.
Fernandes emphasises that the fair isn’t just for children but offers something for all ages. “Apart from children’s books, there will also be a wide range of fiction, non-fiction, self-help, spirituality, fantasy, science fiction, romance, and more,” he says.
However, the biggest challenge in organising the festival has been funding. “We had plans to bring in more authors and host additional sessions, but we simply couldn’t afford it. Recently, we launched a crowdfunding campaign on our website,” he says. “We’re pleased with what we’ve accomplished, but with more funding, we could have done even more. We hope that future editions will receive stronger support from individuals and the government to help make this festival bigger and better.”
