Bond has written over 500 short stories
Veteran Indian author Ruskin Bond has created a handpicked collection of his favourite books in celebration of his 87th birthday.
Bond has carefully selected his favourite children’s stories to incorporate into a new book, titled All-Time Favourites for Children.
Bond plans to release the book on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, the day of his 87th birthday.
All-Time Favourites for Children, published by Penguin Books, is a 232-page volume suitable for readers aged nine and above.
The book celebrates Ruskin Bond’s successful writing career and combines stories that appeal to generations young and old.
The collection is a mixed bag of 25 of Bond’s most cherished stories.
It features the likes of Rusty’s Adventures, Grandfather’s Stories, Goldfish Don’t Bark and Friends from the Forest.
It incorporates some of his most-loved characters such as Rusty and Uncle Ken, as well as some new ones, into one single volume.
The stories also come with quirky artwork for readers to enjoy, illustrated by Kashmira Sarode.
All-Time Favourites for Children also complements A Song of India. It was released in July 2020 to mark the beginning of Ruskin Bond’s 70-year writing career.
The book takes the reader back to 1951, the year before Bond travelled to England prior to writing his first novel, The Room on the Roof.
Speaking of A Song of India, Bond said:
“A Song of India marks 70 years of my long writing career which began when I was sixteen.
“In these seven decades, I have written hundreds of stories for children and just as many for adults too, and I am continuing to do so.
“I am very fortunate to have lived in a beautiful part of the country, in the mountains.”
“I am blessed to have received inspiration from the natural world around me, from children and animals, and all of this is reflected in my works.”
Ruskin Bond is based in Landour, Uttarakhand. During his time as an author, he has received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan civilian honours.
Born in pre-partition India in 1934, Bond grew up in Jamnagar (Gujarat), Dehradun, New Delhi and Shimla.
Bond wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, at just 17 years of age. The book won him the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957.
During his long and successful career, Bond has written over 500 short stories, essays and novellas.
He has also written more than 40 books for children.
All-Time Favourites for Children is available to pre-order here.
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