Dehradun Schools shine in the 6th Edition of Children’s Literature Vertical of VoW

By Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
Dehradun, 4 Oct: St Jude’s School won the Book Enactment with Alternate Ending and Him Jyoti School won the Musical Story Creativity awards of the 6th Edition of the VoW Children Vertical at the Valley of Words|Shabdavali Literature fest, here.
John Martyn Memorial School took away the prize in the Creative Ad category, while Delhi Public School came in first in the Character Hot Seat-Walk into the Book, and Cover Page Redesign was won by Scholars Home, who walked away with the first prize.
In its 6th Edition this year, the Children’s Literature Vertical of the Valley of Words International Literature and Arts Festival 2026, hosted at the Him Jyoti School, saw the participation of seven schools: Delhi Public School, Him Jyoti School, Jaswant Modern School, John Martyn Memorial School, Scholars Home, St. Jude’s School and Purkal Youth Development Society.
The day began with the arrival and registration of schools, followed by draw of lots, a moment that set the stage. Addressing the guests and audience, Him Jyoti Principal Monika Arora welcomed all the participating schools, guests, jury and authors to the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Varun Gulati from the Sahitya Akademi recalled his own journey as a teacher, beginning in 2004, and thanked the Jury as well as authors and festival team for making the event such a success. He reminded participants that performance is more important than winning or losing, and also recited the poetry he had composed for the Gen-Alpha audience: “The mountains don’t copy each other, the stars don’t compete, and your imagination has no WiFi limit. So dream big, think different, stay curious, be kind… your imagination is your superpower!”
The jury for the day — Deepanjali Singh, Pooja Marwah and Siddhant Arora — had their hands full as they set to accomplish the impossible task of evaluating young learners, but they made sure to encourage all the participating students and teachers who had put in their best efforts.
The program was enriched by the participation of four VBA shortlisted authors under the Children’s Literature Vertical, 2026. Speaking at the occasion, Vaishali BK, author of Amma’s Magic Handbag and a keen scholar of emotional regulation techniques, said that, “The most difficult part of writing a children’s book is to be patient, to understand that a book has its own journey, to wait until it comes, to accept that our thinking may not be the only way.”
Nandita Da Cunha, the mind behind What’s the point of KIKI? talked about writing stories for her two daughters and spoke about talking to them through the language of stories. She also said that, “We really don’t all need to be flashy superheroes — if we can just be ourselves, the kindness of who we are is more than enough.”
While Samina Mishra, author of The Night Sky, spoke for all when she said, “Whether we tell stories from our imagination or stories from the world, they are each about discovery… My attempt is to write stories in which different readers can find their own meaning, so that you actually interact with the story and bring your own experience to the book.”
Adding to that, Bangalore-based author Niveditha Reddy, who wrote the book Rain Perfume, recalled her childhood fondness for jumping in puddles and said that, “I wrote this story when I was living in a very-very dry place, and I was really craving for rain. It hadn’t rained for about a year – and I realised that rain is a major part of my life.”
Ishan Trivedi via video message took viewers into the process of his illustration and story-telling, sharing his love for the city of Banaras which inspired his book Damroo Man and the Monkey Gang: “Look around you – some thin gully, some old building, some strange sound — or some monkey, or your favourite dish — they might each have a story hidden in them. Just ask yourself sometimes: what if this could talk? What if there was a story here? And then see where your imagination takes you.”
Dr Sanjeev Chopra, Chairperson, Valley of Words, applauded the dedication of the students and teachers who made this literary celebration so special signing off, “Valley of Words has always prided itself on being a festival that bridges generations, cultures, and ideas, and nowhere is that more visible than in its children’s programming, where young readers not only encounter books but also inhabit them, perform them, and reinvent them with their boundless creativity.”
The day culminated with prize distribution, group photographs, and a heartfelt vote of thanks, before the students dispersed with memories of a literary celebration unlike any other.