About Awa Books

Awa Books is a young publisher from Zurich, which was established in 2021. With lovely illustrated stories, children should be taught the enjoyment of reading (out loud) and reading together. The primary focus is on teaching Tibetan culture, open-mindedness, and acceptance of diversity.

About the Book Product Line

Awa Books' publisher range offers bilingual fables and narratives told across generations to deliver important lessons of life, love, friendship and kindness. It also offers children's books about Tibetan customs, traditions and ceremonies, as well as simple every day life related situations.

The development

Awa Books was created out of the idea to increase the amount of children's books with protagonists of Tibetan ethnicity and thus contribute to more diversity in the world of children's books. As a result, Awa Books was launched in February 2021 in Zurich.

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"Awa" in Tibetan means "child/children" (ཨ་ཝ།; a'wa) and it is exactly these two components that Awa Books focuses on - Tibetan culture for children.

Why Awa Books exists

For parents in the diaspora it’s a challenge to teach their children their own culture. But not only for the parents, but also for the children it isn't easy to find and form their own cultural identity in exile and in the diaspora between two worlds.

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Children's books are essential, not only for language development, but also for overall development. The language development supported by reading helps the children to better understand themselves and their environment, to express feelings and needs and to strengthen social behaviour. Furthermore, it also enhances the parent-child relationship when reading out loud and together. Therefore, children's books are an ideal chance to teach children certain values from their earliest days and to give them an introduction to Tibetan culture. This is what Awa Books aspires.