A crowd of excited children was eagerly waiting in front of the stage of Sisimpur at the Shishu Chattar of Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela at the Suhrawardy Udyan part of the fair venue.

When Tuktuki, Shiku, Ikri and Halum -- the mascots from Sisimpur -- started to enter the stage one by one with the song ‘Cholche Gari, Sisimpure’ a few minutes later, joy spread among the children like a wave.

It was the scenario of the 2nd Shishu Prohor or children’s hours of the month-long book fair on Saturday.

From the Sisimpur stage, Tuktuki, the bookworm, encouraged her little friends to read books while Shiku, the scientist, told stories about invention and discovery. Ikri encouraged everyone to ask questions while Halum encouraged everyone to eat vegetables and fish.

Since the morning, the kids along with their parents started to gather at the Shishu Chattar or children’s square to enjoy the hours dedicated for them.

The fair turned into a children’s kingdom as hundreds of children came to enjoy the Shishu Prohor, which was divided into three different slots --- from 11:30am, 3:30pm and 6:30pm.

During the dedicated hours, the Shishu Chattar was filled with activities for children, including playing and buying books.

For the children, the stalls featured a variety of children's books, including science fiction, ghost stories, jokes and rhymes.

"I came to see Sisimpur and buy books. Sisimpur's Tuktuki, Halum, Shiku and Ikri all are my favourites," said six-year-old Farhan.

"I come to the book fair with my parents every year. This is for the first time that I’ve brought my younger sister too. It’ll be a lot of fun," he added.  Mahmuda Akter, a mother, said, "I’ve brought my children to the book fair for their entertainment and to buy books. As a mother, I’m also very happy to see their joy."

Another mother said, "I like the book fair very much. Today I’ve come here with my children. If children can be made to read books in this age of devices, it would be great for them."

Publishers said the sales of books were good on the day. Especially, children's books were in high demand.

"Initially, there was a less crowd. But visitors are coming. The sales are also quite good. Overall, we’re getting a positive response," said Mohammed Tauhiduzzaman, publisher of Fulki Boi Kendra.

Asked about the high price of children’s books, he said, "Increased prices of paper and economic instability have also affected the book industry. As a result, the prices of books have also increased."

While children ruled the morning, visitors of all ages started to come to the fair in the afternoon.

Thousands of book enthusiasts eagerly visited various stalls and pavilions in search of books by their favourite authors.

Booklovers came to the fair along with family, friends or loved ones.

Tahmid Islam, a college student, said, "Whenever I get time, I come to visit the book fair. Today I’ve come with my friends. I'll also buy some books."

On the third day of the book fair, a discussion titled ‘Tribute on the Bicentennial of Birth: Michael Madhusudan Dutt’ was held at the main stage of the fair on the Bangla Academy premises.

Bangla Academy Director General Mohammad Nurul Huda presided over the discussion while Rafiqullah Khan delivered the keynote paper and Khasru Parvez and Hosne Ara were present as discussants.

According to the Bangla Academy, 74 new books were published on Saturday.

A discussion titled "Remembrance: Kangal Harinath Majumdar" will be held on the main stage at 4pm today with Muntassir Mamoon in the chair.

Besides, Tapan Majumder will present the keynote while Zafar Wazed and Aminur Rahman Sultan will be present as discussants.