Learning economics through storytelling

The book originally written in French by Esther Duflo and illustrated by Cheyenne Oliver has made the series available in Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali and Tamil ensuring wider accessibility across India.

The English edition, published by Juggernaut, marks a unique literary venture that brings complex economic concepts to young readers.

Esther frames her concept through the characters like Nilu and her friends in the series. The books address crucial topics such as fundamental rights, education, children’s health and gender equality from a child’s perspective making abstract economic principles accessible and relatable to young readers.

Poor Economics for Kids seeks to break down stereotypes and promote empathy towards poverty making it a vital educational tool for both parents and educators.

She notes, “When I won the Nobel prize, I was asked to donate an object to the Nobel museum, I chose to give several Pratham books titles because of their role in supporting kids’ reading all over India.”

In the words of illustrator Cheyenne Olivier: “I am very glad that the series got translated into several Indian languages, for it allows the books to reach a much wider audience than English. Reading in your mother tongue allows for a much closer connection to the book and to the characters in my view, whether they are read by kids directly or read aloud by an adult.”

The series represents a significant step in making economic concepts accessible to children, potentially inspiring a new generation of thinkers and problem-solvers in the field of social and economic development.

Esther Duflo received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019 along with Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer.