This new book uses written letters to teach children about deep friendships

Letters come with the promise of intimacy and privacy They allow us to open up in ways that we wouldnrsquot otherwise ldquoIrsquom a big letterwriterrdquo says childrenrsquos author Varsha Seshan Her new book The Wall Friends Club HarperCollins Childrenrsquos Books uses the epistolary form to narrate the story of two girls Sriya and Anandi aged nine and 10 from their points of view The two grow up in different environments but develop instant fondness for each other through letters They reveal their names share their secrets recount everyday classroom drama and stories of bullies and suggest cool ideas for each otherrsquos class projectsVarsha SeshanldquoI have loved writing letters in my childhoodrdquo shares Seshan ldquoI used to have pen pals as a child Thatrsquos quite outdated now because of securityrdquo She recalls a time when it felt safe to do so ldquoAs a child I had subscribed to the childrenrsquos edition of the nature and wildlife conservation magazine Sanctuary Asia called Sanctuary Cub which had a page with names and addresses of people When I think about it today Irsquom a little bit horrified But if you wanted to be a pen pal you could get in touch You already knew that you had one common interest ie naturerdquo Seshan stayed connected with one of her pen pals for years but lost touch when emails arrived ldquoAn email seemed easier in one way because it was exciting and faster yet it wasnrsquot because we didnrsquot have good internetrdquo she tells usILLUSTRATIONS CourtesyDENISE ANTAO HARPERCOLLINS IndiaHer book traverses the endearing ways in which children navigate rights and wrongs take decisions and desire gentle affirmations She packs in little lessons within the conversations without making the children sound preachy The format of the letter enables her to withhold any judgment on the characters and focus on the idea of friendship ldquoFriendship is the main theme in all my books It really shapes who we are it definitely shaped who I am Wersquove all been kids so we know what big decisions look like even though they appear small to adultsrdquoBetrayal for instance can look different to kids ldquoThere are small things that some children do which make other children feel betrayed sometimes and this is a big deal for a childrdquo She refers to a moment in the narrative when one of the letterwriters gives a friendship band gifted to her by a friend from school to somebody else ldquoIt is heartbreakingrdquoHaving worked with children through book clubs and writing programmes she understands these emotions well ldquoI think what we were as kids was differentrdquo Listening to them has allowed Seshan to bridge the gap between the time that she remembers as a child and the world that children live in today It has also given her a chance to notice all that has remained the sameVisual elements for example illustrated by Denise Antao form an important part of a shared language between the characters The children scribble codes or draw pictures in their letters ldquoKids love art When you start writing you start doodling too We do it even as adults They are part of our experiences as human beingsrdquo concludes Seshan The book therefore offers much to young readers and ultimately leaves them thinking what it means to be a good friendCost Rs 175Booked with friendsBipathu and a Very Big Dream by Anita NairAnita NairEvery night nineyearold Bipathu dreams that her elder brother Saad Hrithik Roshan and she were playing football She canrsquot in reality her Umma wonrsquot let her When her school reopens she makes new friends a blind lady from her neighbourhood a footballcrazy schoolmate Rahul a neighbour named Maash and a rescue pup named Duggu As the class bully Suleiman makes attempts to stand in the way of Rahulrsquos selection for the football team Bipathu and friends get together to help Rahul outTara and the Friendship Theorem by Chitra SoundarChitra SoundarTara and Farida are best friends who love playing pallanguzhi a twoplayer board game When Tararsquos family moves to London she yearns for her best friend On the flight she stumbles upon a book which teaches her a mathbased lsquoFriendship Theoremrsquo Tara loves solving puzzles and decides to make use of the theorem to find a friend Absorbed in following its strict principles she misses seeing an important friendship developing at Camp WildernessYou Go First by Erin Entrada KellyErin Entrada KellyTwelveyearold Charlotte Lockard and 11yearold Ben Boxer live in different parts of the country While Ben loves Harry Potter and recycling Charlotte loves collecting rocks and hopes to become a geologist one day They are connected by an online scrabble game Over a few days they develop an endearing bond and find out that they share much more than this Theyrsquove both experienced a difficult time at home and have no friends in school who understand themThe Last Bear by Hannah GoldHannah GoldYoung Aprilrsquos scientist father informs her about the complete disappearance of polar bears from Bear Island where they are bound One day however she meets one and sets her mind to take him back to his family and his home She feeds him oat biscuits with peanut butter and nurses his hurt paw he teaches her to press her ear to the earth and listen This is a story of a gentle friendship between an animal and a child fighting climate changeAt All titles are available at leading bookstores and estoresatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params