Bachay Adeeb Ban Gaye is a slim but artistic book comprising stories written by Pakistani schoolchildren. Aged between 6 to 12 years, these children were given an opportunity to hone their reading and writing skills by the Book Council.

The Council is a trust devoted to encouraging a reading culture across the country, and is headed by the eminent short story writer and folklorist Mazharul Islam.

During his tenure at the National Book Foundation, Islam introduced many novel ideas for making books an essential part of our lives. A national book day was celebrated with fanfare - where the then prime minister was made to read excerpts from any book of his choice; book kiosks were set up at many railway stations and airports across the country; and bus bookshops were launched, that went to many remote areas of the country.

Bachay Adeeb Ban Gaye is his new initiative, launched from various cities such as Quetta, Rawalpindi, Kohat etc. A young book lover, Halima Sadia, who visited many cities and exchanged her views on stories and books, trained these schoolchildren. She faced many difficulties during the exercise but she remained committed to her task to inculcate love for the written word among the children.

Her hard work has paid off - in the form of a book comprising 24 stories by children that show inclination in writing their personal thought of whatever they learnt during the whole exercise. It is heartening to see that 12 children belong to the city of Kohat. Trainer Halima Sadia made it a point during the interactive sessions that all the children attempted to write, even if a single page.

It is pleasantly surprising to see how these children aren’t bothered about the issues that surround us; they are enamoured with the nature, flowers, butterflies, cats, dogs, and even the stories of jinns. But some children do take interest in our current state of affairs.

Twelve-year-old Baseer Shaukat’s story reminds us of the destruction in the aftermath of 2005 earthquake in Azad Kashmir. Similarly, 10-year-old Gull Hasan from Kohat mentions the tragedy of Army Public School in Peshawar.

This means our children are getting their protests recorded by writing about such dastardly acts.

I am particularly impressed by the story of Asma Fatima, titled Mein Nazar Nahi Aa Rahi, which shows the inborn talent of writing in this 10-year-old girl. One hopes that she continues to read and write. Eshal Shaukat Mehsoud hails from Kohat, and Mustansar Hussain Tarar and Zahida Hina have admired her story, Wheelchair Wali Bachi Ki Diary.

Another young girl records her innocent thoughts on the importance of polio drops for children by relating an experience of a handicapped girl during a train voyage. Muskan Asad tells the story of a female flower vendor. She learns the lesson of honesty from that poor girl. Hadia Akram finds a jinn that demands toy box from the children.

Through these stories, the children remind us of the forgotten lessons of honesty, of caring for birds and domestic animals.

One hopes that the Book Council continues to reach more children of the remote areas and engage with them in reading and writing activities. Equipping children with books may herald a better future for Pakistan!