HarperCollins brings out picture books with cricket as theme

PTI, Oct 17, 2021, 4:47 PM IST

HarperCollins India has come out with a series of five picture books for children with the stories based on animal characters and themed on cricket.

Each book in ”The Cricket Pang Values Series” highlights important values through engaging stories and endearing characters.

”The Alarm Clock House”, ”The Special Snack Box”, ”Ricky’s Pretend Sick Day”, ”Oops! We Broke the Window”, and ”The Secret of the Doughnut Tree” talk of the exploits of the main character Pang and his bunch of friends.

CricketPang is the flagship animation of YouNeedCharacter. It is currently being broadcast on MBC, a major TV channel in South Korea, and platforms such as MX player and JIO TV in India.

In addition, the animation has been shown on major OTT channels in the US, Sweden, Mexico and the Middle East.

CricketPang brand ambassador and Team India member Ajinkya Rahane says these books are a great way to make learning fun for children.

Minsu Song, CEO of YouNeedCharacter, says the company will continue to produce content that is educational to young children and come out with good books that are helpful to children ”starting with this meaningful first publication in India”.

According to Tina Narang, publisher (children’s books) at HarperCollins, this collection will engage children with its delightful stories and illustrations.

”The stories have simple messages woven in, whether it is about sharing with friends, helping them, caring for them and other such very basic values. What makes these books even more exciting for children is their central theme – cricket! Each story is relatable and easy to read, and children will love Pang and his animal friends,” she says.

This is the first set of five books, with four more sets to follow in the months to come. In March, CricketPang had announced its publishing contract with HarperCollins India for a 26-book series based on the animation.