Long long ago when books, as we know them today, were not there the grandparents, mostly the grandmother, used to tell stories to the children. In every ethnic community, the elders per­formed and still perform the task of narrating the folklore and ethnic mythology to the children. Gradually, oral communication gave way to writing, beginning with barks and leaves  leading  on  to  stone and metal  tablets  and  then  culminating in discovery of paper and invention of printing. When books came to be written, the. children's books imitated the tales told at twilight by the grandma. The stories and fables narrated by the elders of the tribe and later on by the grandparents in the family had the dual purpose of entertainment and education. The children's literature of today has come a long way from the early days of printing. A vast variety of attractively produced books on every subject, written specially for the children, are available now. The paramount importance of the role of healthy literature in the flowering of a child's personality has come to be accepted by every country.

In India, the classic tales form 'Panchatantra' and 'Hitopadesa', 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata' and other epics have held  generations of children in thrall. However, the children's books are a later development. Bengal had the distinction of  bringing  out the  first  ever  children's book  more  than  a  century  ago  when  a collection of stories narrated by the well­ known scholar,  Pandit  Ishwar  Chandra Vidyasagar, to the neighbourhood children was published in book form. There was a paucity of sustained and creative effort to produce  indigenous   reading material for children which serves the twin purpose  of education  and entertainment. Fifteen years ago, the well-known artist, cartoonist and scholar, "Shankar"  established the Children's Book Trust with the aim of bringing out attractive and interesting books for children in various Indian languages and English at a low cost. During the decade and a half of its existence, the  Children's  Book  Trust  has  brought out   300   titles in English and Indian languages for the children of all age groups.

One of the slogans for the International Year  of  the Child is "Children's Books for a Better World". Children's Book Trust celebrates the Year of the Child by organising  the  International  Children's   Book Fair in New Delhi from November 10-19, 1979 and dedicates it  to  the  children  of the world. The P & T Department is happy to mark the occasion with the issue of  a commemorative   stamp.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India