By Tania Saili Bakshi
Dehradun, 2 Oct: The Valley of Words International Literature and Arts Festival 2026 is ready to shine the spotlight on its sixth edition of the Children’s Literature Vertical at Him Jyoti School, Senior-wing, on 4 October.
Expressing his thoughts, Dr Sanjeev Chopra, Festival Director, Valley of Words, said “VoW is delighted to have four of our shortlisted authors of the children vertical with us on the 4th October, at the Him Jyoti School. Here students from seven esteemed schools will get to interact with the authors and with each other over books through numerous activities — all in the spirit of a positive pedagogic enquiry.”
Students from Grades 2 to 5 of seven participating schools — Delhi Public School, Him Jyoti School, Jaswant Modern School, John Martyn Memorial School, Purkal Youth Development Society, Scholars’ Home and St. Jude’s School — will take part in a medley of competitions, performances, and author interactions for the vertical.
The program will be enriched by the participation of four shortlisted authors under the Children’s Literature Category of the VoW Book Awards 2026: Nandita da Cunha (author of What’s the Point of KIKI?), Niveditha Reddy (author of Rain Perfume), Samina Mishra (author of The Night Sky) and Vaishali BK (author of Amma’s Magic Handbag).
Among the most anticipated events is the Book Enactment with Alternate Ending, where teams dramatize the main storyline of their allotted book before taking a creative leap into reimagining how the tale might end. The Children’s Literature Vertical also brings a unique sonic experience with Musical Storytelling, where students will narrate stories within two minutes using no instruments. Rhythm through claps, stomps, snaps, hums, chants, and beatboxing add to this performance which is both auditory and theatrical. No props or costumes are allowed here, making it an exercise in pure expression. Creative Ads, in which children create jingles, slogans, taglines and short enactments to promote the reading of a particular shortlisted title. Adding a bit of theatre is Character Hot Seat: Walk into the Book, where two students will dress up as characters from the book and the remaining students act as interviewers, classmates, reporters, or curious readers in conversation with the characters. Complementing this is the Cover Page Redesign where students will be given an hour to redesign the cover page of a pre-designated book from the VBA Children’s Literature Shortlist, allowing young artists to spark their imagination and hone their creativity.
Rounding off the line-up is the non-competitive event Be the Author, where students dress as the shortlisted authors, step into their shoes, and speak a few lines about their life and works.
Expressing her delight at hosting the event Monika Arora, Principal, Him Jyoti School said, “It is a moment of pride for Him Jyoti to host the Children’s Vertical of the Valley of Words Literature Festival which brings together young readers, writers, storytellers, and literary enthusiasts. It offers children a wonderful platform to explore the joy of books and creative expression.”
Their words echo the sentiment of the festival’s organisers who view the Children’s Vertical not merely as a competition, but as a formative experience that instils confidence, nurtures collaborative spirit, and builds a lifelong love for books.
