The new book cover revealed on her 70th birthday
New Delhi, 19 August 2020; Penguin Random House India marks the 70th birthday of India most beloved writer Sudha Murty with the announcement of her new book. The publishing house is coming out with her latest collection of short stories, titled ‘Grandparents’ Bag of Stories’, which is scheduled to be released in November 2020.
Grandparents’ Bag of Stories is a sequel to bestselling Grandma’s Bag of Stories (approx. three lakh copies sold) and will feature 20 stories by Sudha Murty, in her inimitable style. Mrs Murty was inspired to pen these stories with the aim to entertain children as many of them find themselves homebound during these days, without school and holiday plans. Narrated in the voice of grandparents, who epitomise storytelling in our childhood, these tales of kings and jungle, fun and adventure in the time of coronavirus are all wrapped in wonderful and important lessons of life.
Commenting on the inspiration of writing during the lockdown, Mrs Sudha Murty says, ‘The lockdown due to the pandemic got me wondering what I would have done as a 10-12 year old kid. I would have really got bored. I would have gone to my grandparents’ house, sat with them, heard stories, and learnt how to help people in difficult times. So, I thought – why can’t I once again become a ten year old, think of all my childhood stories and write a book. That’s how I wrote these set of stories.’
Ahead of the release of the book, the publishing house is launching an exciting campaign and revealing the first look of the cover of her upcoming book to celebrate Mrs Murty’s birthday. Young readers are in for a treat on social media, with a special message from the iconic author and much more content that is engaging on Penguinsters, Penguin’s dedicated page for our young and blossoming readers.
Sohini Mitra, Publisher, Children’s Division, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘Mrs Murty’s written work has truly enriched children’s reading repertoire. Her stories, in addition to being enjoyable, always have a valuable life lesson for her readers. We are privileged to publish her books and for the opportunity to share it with this growing generation of readers. She wrote this new book during the lockdown and even in these strange and trying times, it is admirable that she has come up with, yet again, a wonderful range of stories that can fill our hearts, make us smile and fire up our imaginations. After all, what better way to seek comfort and joy other than the magic of stories? I am excited to see the readers’ reaction to Grandparents’ Bag of Stories.’