50 Indian books every parent must read to

their child
A recent post on Flavorwire on 50 books every parent should read to their child went viral, causing
us to wonder if there is an Indian version of the same and wouldnt that be useful to every parent
looking for good books to read to their children?
With help from Sangita, an educator, voracious reader, parent and parent who reads regularly to her
kids, we have compiled a list of books that challenge stereotypes, fire the imagination and create a
healthy space for discussions, besides being a nice reading challenge for kids who can read
themselves.

50 Indian books every parent should read

to their child
1. The Mahabharata (Ages 9+)

Samhita Arnis The Mahabharata A childs view, published by Tara Books, tells the much loved
ancient tale of war, kingship, honour and revenge in an unorthodox manner through the eyed of a
child. Written and illustrated by Samhita Arni at the age of 11, the book went on to be translated in
several languages and sold over 50,000 titles.

2. The Why-Why Girl (Ages 6-9)

Mahasweta Devi tells us how she meets Moyna (and her mongoose!) and this helps her find answers
to all the why-whys through books that Moyna herself learns to read. The book is available in
Hindi, Marathi and English and is published by Tulika Books.

3. Grannys Sari (All ages)

In Asha Nehemiahs book, Grannys favourite saree has been blown away by the wind! As Granny
and Anu go looking for it, they meet several people who have used the saree to their advantage.

4. Barefoot Husain (Ages 9+)

In this Anjali Raghbeers story the artist has lost his shoes. Jai offers to help him find them and the
two take off on a crazy journey, zooming in and out of paintings, through milestones in M. F.
Husains life.

5. All About Nothing (Ages 5+)

This book, by Nina Sabnani, is about a hero who simplifies our lives much more than we realise.

6. Handmade India (All ages)

Olivia Fraser takes us on a delightful journey around the various states of the country and gives us a
glimpse of some of the many things that are handmade in India.

7. Mayil will not be quiet (Ages 10+)

By Niveditha Subramaniam, this is a spontaneous, sensitive, honest, intimate, and hilarious peek
into the life and mind of an insightful young girl, Mayil, as seen through her diary jottings.

8. Moin and the Monster (Ages 7+)

Following one of the monster rules Rule 17- A Monster can be sent to the human world an
invisible monster enters Moins life. Anushka Ravishankar blends the story perfectly.

9. Gajapati Kulpati (Ages 3-5)

Ashok Rajagopalan tells the story of a big temple elephant catching a cold after getting wet in the
rain. The story is testimony to the author/illustrators delightful sense of humour and imagination.

10. Malgudi days (All ages)

R. K. Narayans classic collection of 32 stories tells the adventures of Swami and his friends in the
imaginary town of Malgudi which also has a fond urban legend of being an amalgamation of
Basavangudi and Malleswaram in Bangalore is memorabilia for every adult and child, alike.

11. Norbus New Shoes (Ages 4-8)

Written by Chewang Dorji Bhutia. Norbus father buys him a new pair of shoes. Then, a monkey
comes along(thats all youre going to get!)

12. Padma goes to space (Ages 5+)

Shweta Prakash tells the story that somewhere in the universe, little children in butterfly-shaped
time machines eat scrumptious star-rock salad from Galaxy Stellar 5689, and a volcano erupts fruit
juice that freezes into ice-cream!

13. Your Turn Now (Ages 8-12)

Your Turn Now is a movement started by Rushabh Turakhia with a simple concept to remind
children and adults to use their innate kindness.

14. Tales of Historic Delhi (All ages)

In this story by Premola Ghose, join the animals of Janwar Dosti Tunnu the tiger, Zero the giraffe,
Lucky the rabbit and all their jungle friends on a magical history tour through Delhi.

15. Sunu-sunu Snail: Storm in the Garden (Ages 3+)

Sunu-sunu the snail is playing in the garden with his friends, the ants. Suddenly there is a storm!
Find out what happens by reading this entertaining book by Sandhya Rao.

16. The Adventures of Toto the Auto (Age 3-6)

In this book by Ruta Vyas, ride with Toto, the autorickshaw and his driver Pattu as they go about
solving problems, helping others and having loads of fun along the way.

17. The Fivetongued, Firefanged, Folkadotted Dragon

Snake (Ages 4+)

A story by Ruta Vyas told in the first person, it brings us a school story with a twist in the tail.

18. The Runaway Pepper Corn (Ages 4-8)

Suchitra Ramadurai narrates the delightful escapades of a charming little black peppercorn Kuru
Molagu (in Malayalam and Tamil), that manages to run away one day.

19. We, The Children Of India (Ages 10-13)

Former Chief Justice Leila Seth makes the words of the Preamble to the Constitution understandable
to even the youngest reader.

20. Why Are You Afraid To Hold My Hand (Ages 5+)

Inspired by the Spastics Society of India, this little book by Sheila Dhir is a celebration of
the normalcy of the differently-abled.

21. Wisha Wozzariter (Ages 8+)

Payal Kapadia tells the story of ten-year-old Wisha, who wishes to be a writer. When she meets
Bookworm, she stops wishing and starts writing.

22. Mathematwist: Number Tales From Around the

World (Ages 10+)

T V Padma writes a collection of stories from different countries. Each story sets the brain ticking,
encouraging problem-solving skills with a high quotient of fun! And each is followed by a simple
explanation of the maths behind the magic.

23. Little Indians (Ages 10+)

Pika Nani tells of stories and fascinating facts that take you on a double-decker ride across 15 states
in India.

24. 366 words about Bengaluru (Ages 3-8)

Learn 366 words and concepts through the landmarks, parks, places of learning, places of worship,
festivals, culture, experiences and cuisine of Bengaluru.

25. The Aditi and Friends series (Ages 7+)

Suniti Namjoshi features Aditi and her friends an ant, a one-eyed monkey, an elephant and two
dragons.

26. One World (Ages 3-16)

Radhika Menons collection is a series of theme based books focusing on various topics.

27. Sorry, Best Friend (All ages)

A collection edited by Githa Hariharan and Shama Futehally, featuring 10 stories that look at the
India our children live in with clear, steady eyes. And while they see suspicion and division, they also
find many reasons for hope.

28. India at the Olympic Games (Ages 11+)

Sandhya Raos book is the first for young children on Indias participation in the Olympic Games.

29. The Jungle Book (Ages 7+)

By Rudyard Kipling and as equally delightful as the movie, it is probably one book that many
children are going to read after they have seen the movie and fallen in love with it.

30. Girls of India series (Ages 12+)

An attempt to introduce young readers to history, make it come alive and accessible, without
confining it to history textbooks where history is dry, dull and boring.

31. Ekki Dokki (Ages 3+)

An endearing Marathi folktale about two sisters: Ekkesvali who has one hair on her head and
Dhonkesvali who has two and thinks shes great. By Sandhya Rao.

32. And Land was Born (Ages 4-8)

A story by Sandhya Rao, from the Bhilala tribe who live in Central India. This book brings together
pictures and words in the spirit of freedom and celebration.

33. First Look at Science Series (Ages 6+)

Boondi, Bhoomi, Beeji, Gitti and Dhooli (Tulika) These five books are perfect for a childs first look
at science, because they were born as pictures.

34. History of India (Ages 10+)

Vol. I and II by Roshen Dalal, are books on Indian History which start from the Indus valley
civilisation, traverse through the various kingdoms and dynasties of India, take us through the
freedom struggle, and shed light on the years following our Independence.

35. Amazing India: A State by State guide (Ages 8-10)

Anita & Amit Vachharajani is filled with interesting facts, figures and maps and more than 250 handdrawn illustrations in colour. Amazing India takes you on a fascinating journey through this large
and diverse country.

36. The Rusty Series (All ages)

A collection of stories by Ruskin Bond about a boy, Rusty, who is quiet, intelligent and longs for love.

37. A Trail of Paint (Ages 12+)

A Trail of Paint by Anjali Raghbeer introduces kids to the paintings by Jamini Roy, the famous artist
from West Bengal. Children will thoroughly enjoy unravelling the mystery and will be thrilled as they
grasp the many clues along the trail.

38. Tiger on a Tree (Ages 3-6)

By much loved author Anushka Ravishankar, the story is about a tiger who wanders from shore to
field, is a scaredy-cat tiger and suddenly finds himself up a tree.

39. Kanchil Series (Ages 3-6)

Kanchil is a trickster character in Indonesian and Malaysian folklore, a small mouse deer who uses
his wits to survive.

40. Dalai Lama Biography (Ages 10+)

By Aravinda Ananthraman, the book presents the journey of the Dalai Lama in a very interesting
way.

41. Letters from a Father to a Daughter (Ages 10-14)

A collection of 30 letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1928 to his daughter Indira Gandhi when
she was 10 years old, talking about natural history and the story of civilisations.

42. Sitas Ramayana (Ages 12+)

Samhita Arni shifts the point of view of the Ramayana to bring a womans perspective to this
timeless epic. Narrated by Sita herself, it is a powerful meditation on the fate of women.

43. Excuses, Excuses (Ages 6+)

Anushka Ravishankar tells the fun story about a school boy named Neel who know whats right, but
cannot resist doing things his own way.

44. To Market! To Market! (Ages 4+)

Anushka Ravishankar tells the story of a little girl who is going to the market because her mum gave
her lots of change. She doesnt know what she is going to buy but she knows she will have looking
for it.

45. Excuse me, is this India? (Ages 3+)

Anushka Ravishankar is illustrated with rich quilts put together with Indian textiles, this whimsical
story in verse is an unusual book of travel-through a childs imagination.

46. Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Ages 10-13)

Salman Rushdies delightful tale is about a storyteller who loses his skill and struggles against
mysterious forces attempting to block the seas of inspiration from which all stories are derived.

47. A Man Called Bapu (Ages 12+)

Subhadra Sen Gupta narrates an affectionate account of Bapu, the man, and his life, and why he will
inspire generations to come.

48. A Silly Story of Bondapalli (Ages 5+)

Shamim Padamsees book is a series of comic turn of events that led the royal cook to create a soft,
crisp, golden ball, which again, by a funny twist of words, gets to be called a Bonda!

49. At Least a Fish (Ages 8+)

By Anushka Ravishankar, this is a story about Ana, who gets fish as a birthday gift instead of a
puppy. Ana, along with Zain, then find one advertisement regarding a puppy for adoption.

50. The Conch Bearer (Ages 8+)

The Conch Bearer, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, was a Booklist Editors Choice, Publishers
Weekly Best, Book of the Year, and is a 2005 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee. In a dingy shack in
the less-than-desirable Indian neighborhood he calls home, twelve-year-old Anand is entrusted with
a conch shell that possesses mystical powers.