Going to School in India is a multimedia presentation of photography, graphic design, and text. This highly original book relates the personal hopes and challenges of some of India’s school-age children, including nine-year-old Amla, whose school is on a train platform, and thirteen-year-old Devki, who attends a night school for girls that is lit by solar lanterns. The book was inspired by a seven-year-old student who asked his teacher, author Lisa Heydlauff, “What is it like to go to school in India?” Ms. Heydlauff, who was raised in England, Canada, and the United States but now calls India home, promised that if she ever got the chance she would find out. Over a period of seven months, Ms. Heydlauff traveled extensively across India and observed firsthand how children in India navigate busy streets, cross rivers, trek across deserts, and climb mountains in order to go to school. “Often against incredible odds, these spirited children overcome great obstacles in order to pursue their basic right to go to school,” says the author.

Going to School in India, like other children’s books published by Shakti for Children (www.shakti.org), is the collaborative fruit of some of the most talented authors and photographers today, including photographer Nitin Upadhye and graphic designer B. M. Kamath, renowned for their vivid and dramatic style.

Shakti for Children is a program of the Global Fund for Children (www.globalfundforchildren.org), a nonprofit grant making organization committed to advancing the education and dignity of young people around the world. A portion of the proceeds from sales of Going to School in India will be donated to the Global Fund for Children to support community-based educational programs worldwide.

Going to School in India is published through an ongoing collaboration with Charlesbridge Publishing, a leading US publisher of picture books for children of all ages. The book is available from the Shakti for Children website (www.shakti.org) and all major bookstores.

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