Terrible twos? No. Terrific three? Yes!!!!! That is when the idea of this book emerged ...... and the best part was, it came from little Rishav.

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At the time, Rishav was reading a book about places and it was his habit to start the day with this book. He thoroughly enjoyed reading it but what nobody realised was how he was getting inspired and intrinsically motivated to write his own story book, at this very young age. He read innumerable other books and started gathering ideas in his mind. All we knew was, reading was a daily ritual in our house and it was encouraged.

And who does not enjoy doodling and drawing? Like many of you, Rishav always expressed himself in drawings. One day he came to me with his drawings and, with a feeling of intent said, he wanted a ‘real’ book!

I clearly remember how happy and confused I was at the same time because I did not quite understand what he meant. After a conversation, Rishav made it clear that he actually wanted to be an author. It was a thrilling moment, both as a educator and of course as a mother.

I took it very seriously to support him and nurture his passion. The first step I took was to make him responsible for his own initiative.

Rishav named the book ‘The Lion’s Walk’. Beautiful conversations followed. Each page focused on a place and some detail that he observed of that particular place. He narrated the story while I documented it. What was unique was how Rishav read books, made connections with his personal experiences and applied his knowledge in his writing. Soon I got the pages photocopied and stitched together. That was Rishav’s first book!

‘The Lion’s Walk’ made Rishav a mini author. Reading and writing continued. Soon he could write words and simple sentences. He had no fear while writing. One needs to express oneself the best he/she can and move on. Revisiting a piece of writing and editing it can only make the story more enjoyable to read. Spontaneous drawings always supported his stories. I started collecting these and with my teacher hat, I scaffolded his writing journey. (A few strategies have been shared in this book).

The next stage was finding ‘the’ publisher. I did not rush with this ‘dream’ as I always believed it had a unique purpose of inspiring young minds. Rishav wanted to be a role model for others. After four years of patient search, we found Kitaab, who had the same vision as us. It was indeed a very happy day.

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This is the story behind the stories and we hope it will inspire you to do what you like to do, follow your heart and chase your dream. Perhaps writing a story is one of them?

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- Srinanda Gupta