New chronicles for kids

‘A Yarn Roll of Resolutions’, the debut book by Aayushi Naik is a collection of 10 fun-filled and relatable stories

RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT KURIOCITY

Aayushi Naik has always loved quirky characters and imaginative tales. And a few months ago, she decided to try creating her own quirky tales.

“I simply decided to craft a story or two and discovered that I enjoyed the concept of providing structure to narratives, envisioning and penning down what unfolds next,” says the Merces-based writer, who is currently part of the digital team at Edelman in Mumbai.

While she initially set aside the project for a few months due to work commitments, she later returned to it and it took two months of serious work to refine the tales, ultimately leading to her first book titled ‘A Yarn Roll of Resolutions’.

Published by Clever Fox Publishing, the book has no illustrations, just the cover done by the publisher. “The image exactly emotes what the title stands for – people hanging around the roll of yarn waiting for the reader to navigate through their stories,” she says.

Naik believes that a lot of traits seen in the characters have been those that she has seen in people around her. “I also wanted to incorporate how more often than not, we see factors like luck and timing hold such power in changing the course of our lives,” she says, adding that she prefers to keep the writing colloquial. “Nobody should rush for a dictionary while trying to read this book but just enjoy it. There are other books for that. I also preferred stories having some wit here and there,” says the author who is a fan of Munshi Premchand’s short stories.

As far as challenges are concerned, Naik had to try and keep thinking of various possible endings to the stories. “I had to gauge if the target audience or anyone for that matter would be convinced that the flow did make sense. Any creative pursuit is so subjective; everyone has a different perspective,” she says.

The target audience for this book is youngsters who are 12 years old and above and Naik feels that readers will especially enjoy the story ‘Pins and Needles’. “It follows the life of a young girl who faces criticism for her appearance and dreams. Regardless, she pursues what she has to and finds some success in a rather unexpected way. I’m almost sure that most people in that age bracket do face similar situations. It’s the age wherein we’re subjected to most judgments due to academics or extracurriculars,” she says.

Naik states that the aim of the stories isn’t to preach, dictate, or jot down any lessons but to just let the reader indulge in a short and intriguing read. “I just wanted to keep it fun. A lot of school-goers try to build reading habits in school. The book is a light read and could serve this purpose. Many of them are already reading intensive novels; the book can be a break from that,” she says, adding that the book could also be a good option for adults who complain about losing touch with reading or for those who want to develop a reading habit.

“Reading something, even if it’s quick, is still better than sulking about not getting the motivation to read. I hope this book takes your fancy,” says Naik.