How We Curate Children’s Books at Fun’O’Fable (And What Being Featured in Deccan Herald Meant to Us)
In May 2026, we got a call from Amanda Vyas at Deccan Herald. She wanted to know about Fun’O’Fable — how we work, how we started, and the story behind it all. We had no idea, at that point, that we were about to be featured as one of five Bengaluru bookstores catering to the city’s budding readers. When we saw ourselves placed alongside wonderful stores like Bond Over Bindings, Lightroom, Funky Rainbow, and Booksetgo, we were genuinely awestruck.
What meant the most was how beautifully the piece captured what we actually do. Because we are a little different from the others — we work entirely online, curating monthly children’s book boxes and shipping them across India. Deccan Herald described it perfectly: we curate book boxes based on each child’s age, interests and reading history, focusing on lesser-known but critically acclaimed titles, including Newbery and Caldecott award winners. So we thought we’d share a little more about how that curation really works — because it’s the heart of everything we do.
We Don’t Send Random Books. We Curate Them.
Here is the thing most people don’t realise: at Fun’O’Fable, every single book is chosen on purpose. We read between 200 and 300 children’s books every month, and from all of those, we select only the gems — the ones we believe will become your child’s favourite from day one. The kind of book your child will ask you to read again, and again, and again. (You might get a little bored of it. Your child won’t.) Every book is matched to your child specifically. Before we begin an order, we take a few details from you — your child’s age, their interests, and their reading history. Choosing the right book is a lot like tailoring your child’s clothes to fit perfectly, because a popular book is not always the right book for your child. And we don’t stop there. We take active feedback from parents along the way, so we keep improving the books we send in every subscription. Your participation is something we genuinely never take for granted.
The Magic of the Unboxing
There’s one thing we care about deeply: when your child opens the box, it should feel like receiving a gift. Every month, a little moment of joy. That’s why, along with the books, we tuck in a small surprise goodie — a little something that adds to the magic of the unboxing. Because building a reader isn’t only about the words on the page. It’s about a child learning to associate books with delight.
Why Not Just Buy from Amazon?
It’s a fair question, and we hear it often. The honest answer is simple: on Amazon, you are the curator. On Fun’O’Fable, we are the curators — we do it for you. Finding the right book among the millions of titles on Amazon is genuinely like finding a needle in a haystack. A busy parent of a toddler simply cannot sift through hundreds of books every month to find the perfect one. We can, because it’s what we do.
Over seven years, we’ve developed real expertise in this. We have early childhood educators on our team who have, to date, got almost every selection right — and the children have loved them. We look at books read by children across the world. We look at international publications, critically acclaimed titles, and award-winning authors — Newbery and Caldecott winners, and many more. We carry over 2,000 titles. These are not the books you’ll stumble upon easily on your own.
Books That Are Right for Indian Children
There’s another layer most people never think about: culture. A book that does wonderfully in the United States, the UK, Australia or Canada may not sit right with Indian parents and our cultural context. We are very sensitive about what we read to our children. That is why every book that reaches your child has been vetted not once, but twice, by our experts — to make sure it is culturally appropriate as well as beautifully written.
Why Books Make the Best Gift
If you’re not ready for a subscription, that’s absolutely fine — you can try a single box, or give one as a gift. And we truly believe books are one of the best gifts you can give a child. A book keeps giving. Unlike a toy, a child cherishes a book for years. Books don’t age — they can be passed on to a younger sibling, a friend, a neighbour, or donated. When you give a book, you’re not only giving a gift to one child; you’re giving something to the whole of society. Raising a reader is one of the most important things you can do for a child.
The Million Word Gap — Why We Do This…
Everything we do comes back to one idea: the Million Word Gap. Research has found that a child who is read about five books a day from birth to age five will have heard around 1.4 million more words than a child who enters kindergarten without having been read to. Those 1.4 million words give a child an extraordinary head start — in vocabulary, in imagination, in thinking. That gap is what we exist to close. Our aim, quite simply, is to help raise a generation of voracious readers and thinkers across India.
How Fun’O’Fable Started?
Seven years ago, I started Fun’O’Fable from my dining table, packing the very first box by hand. When my first child was born, I’d found it so difficult to find the right books — it really was like finding a needle in a haystack. And I thought: why should parents go through all this trouble every month and still not get it right? That question became Fun’O’Fable. I dreamed, even then, of one day delivering our boxes to the remotest corners of India, where the joy of reading hasn’t yet reached deeply. Today, we ship across the entire country — to metros and to small villages alike.
Come Say Hello
If you have a child between the ages of 0 and 12, we’d love for you to try a box. And if you’re not quite ready yet — that’s perfectly okay. Just send us your child’s details and we’ll share our best recommendations, no strings attached. Because at the end of the day, we don’t mind where you buy your books. We just want you to raise a reader. And if we can help with that, we’d be honoured to. You can reach us anytime on WhatsApp at +91-7575030006, or visit funofable.com.
FAQs
1. How does Fun’O’Fable choose which books to send?
We read 200-300 children’s books every month and hand-pick each book based on your child’s age, interests and reading history. We focus on lesser-known but critically acclaimed titles, including Newbery and Caldecott award winners, and every book is vetted twice by our early childhood education experts — including for cultural appropriateness for Indian families.
2. What age range does Fun’O’Fable cater to?
We curate books for children aged 0 to 12 years. Every box is matched to your child’s specific age and reading stage — from board books for babies to chapter books for older children.
3. Do I have to take a subscription, or can I try a single box?
You don’t need a subscription. You can try a single box first, or buy one as a gift. If you enjoy it, you can move to a subscription whenever you’re ready — renewals are always manual, so you’re never charged automatically.
4. Can I gift a Fun’O’Fable box to someone?
Absolutely — and we believe books make one of the best gifts you can give a child. A book is cherished for years, can be passed on to siblings or friends, and never goes out of date. We hand-wrap every box beautifully and can ship directly to the recipient.
5. Does Fun’O’Fable deliver across India?
Yes. We ship our hand-wrapped book boxes anywhere in India — from major cities to the remotest villages. Shipping is included in our prices.
6. Why should I choose Fun’O’Fable over buying books on Amazon?
On Amazon, you are the curator — you have to find the right book among millions of titles, which is like finding a needle in a haystack. At Fun’O’Fable, we are the curators. We do that work for you, using seven years of expertise and a team of early childhood educators, to find books your child will genuinely love.
