The TV presentation of the book "Mush's Strange Journey" (video, photos)

During the TV presentation, Gnel Nalbandyan, the editor-in-chief of Newmag publishing house, expressed his initial reluctance to publish children's books, citing it as a challenging and highly responsible task. However, Artak Aleksanyan, the founding CEO of the publishing house, decided to start publishing children’s series too. “It was indeed a very risky move, but we embraced it, and we're starting to establish ourselves in the children's literature market, because I believe we are presenting an interesting proposition”.

The chief editor of Newmag shared that the children's series is designed for four different age groups: under 6 years, 6-9 years, 9-12, and over 12. According to Gnel Nalbandyan, meticulous attention has been paid to every detail. “We've considered the quality of the paper and the font to ensure that nothing distracts the child during their reading time. We've set our own standards, and we're open to discussions with partner institutions regarding font size, word count, and age groups. This represents our innovation in the Armenian market”.

    

The author of the book, Sona Babajanyan, a resident of Australia, is a translator of fiction who has been deeply involved with literature and painting throughout her life. Her first foray into writing was published in Armenian. She shared, “This is my first attempt to combine those two great loves of mine. The mythical creatures in “Mush's Strange Journey” were created separately, originating from my project “Animal Description of the Underworld,” which I developed years ago”.

Sona Babajanyan emphasizes that the characters in the fairy tale are not meant to be frightening; they are simply diverse. The book focuses on helping children overcome their fears. She explained, “I used simple, natural language because children can be put off by artificial language. I can relate, as I was annoyed by it when I was little. Why did I decide to write a fairy tale? First and foremost, it was for my grandson. Additionally, living in Australia, where there is no market for children's literature, motivated me to do so”.

The “Yeraz” children's series is a collaborative effort between Newmag and the “Yeraz Projects”. According to Meri Melik-Sargsyan, the company's marketing and public relations manager, education has consistently been a key focus of the company's social concept. This collaboration with Newmag is not their first, as she explains, “For the third consecutive year, we have been welcoming young readers who love books as part of the Newmag Summer Fest. This project is a natural extension of that successful and wonderful partnership.

Attention to detail is a crucial aspect of this initiative, ensuring that the literature is psychologically safe for children. Our colleagues have carefully crafted every aspect of the books, aiming to make them engaging and attractive. The goal is for children to feel comfortable and unafraid when they interact with these books, fostering a desire to continue reading”.

The book is now available for purchase.