Kids books by Indian authors beyond folk tales and mythology

looking beyond ‘desi’ in Indian stories for kids

Indian storybooks (for kids) are mostly associated with Gods, Mythical heroes, Historic characters & Animals that can talk… Panchatantra, Tinkle, and even the recent folk tales are mostly just this. Not saying there aren’t stories beyond this, but these are the only ones associated with ‘Indian storybooks’.

Thanks to Tulika & Pratham’s books, there are many more stories from the ‘real’ Indian setup that has been resurfacing through children’s books; but there are some hidden gems by authors who have mostly self-published or have not had much luck with mass marketing.

I am writing this article to highlight some of these books, written by Indian authors who are yet to achieve celeb status. My little curation is only to help parents pick the right book for their little kids (3–8 years of age). I have nothing against regional language books and love them too, but this list of kids’ books by Indian authors is in English (read that as really good English).

Book by Shilpa Rao

If there’s one thing that is more relatable to India, it is the values associated with families. For children growing up here, relationships with people beyond their parents are very normal. They usually get to spend time with their grandparents as part of their daily routine (of course there are exceptions). Keeping that as the focus of her book, Shilpa has created a wonderful fantasy for little kids and their grandparents in her book ‘The Magic Couch — Adventures with Tatha.’ ( Buy it here)

Books like this are ‘Indian’ in their values, and even showcase different parts of India in interesting ways for kids. It makes for a good bonding time with grandparents.

Book by Darshini Siva Paramesh

When Indian authors write about Indian things — they find the most unique concepts. A ‘car festival’ where there are no ‘actual cars’ that kids know, is something that is unique to India. In this simple book, Darshini shares experiences from the eyes of little Malini who enjoys a car festival in South India and showcases a carnival in a small town with firecrackers, music & fun family time. ( Buy it here)

For us, Hailing from Belur, sights like those in this book are not rare, but this book made it easy to teach kids at home about an event they would witness in real.

Books by Yug

Books by Yug represent lessons that future generations can learn from India’s cultural legacy and bountiful past. I love the series that has stories about legends (and a good mix of people from various fields — sports, films, politics & more). As kids, we got to learn these stories at an older age, but I think sharing this with younger kids can inspire them to dream BIG earlier on. ( Buy it here)

Books by Aditi Gupta

Mensuration is a taboo topic, especially in India. It has been for generations and even though there are pockets in Modern India where we are more outspoken, vocal, and broad-minded about the subject, it remains a taboo. Author, Aditi Gupta has shown the courage to present a kid’s book on this topic, and that in itself is commendable. There are books for girls to learn about periods and books for boys to learn about puberty. ( Buy it here)

But why am I including this book in a list for young children? Perhaps, the book itself is not something little kids can read, but it is a good resource for parents/caregivers to understand how to teach/talk to kids about this subject.

As a mom to a 4-year-old, I discuss very openly with him the days when I am mensurating in an age-appropriate way and we hope to only normalize this. Introducing this book and its contents early on (in our own heads) can help.

Books by Priyanka Agarwal Mehta

Books by Indian authors don’t have to be about India. And this is something that people should normalize. Priyanka has written many books like this, and most of them make it to a kid’s fav list. However, if I had to pick, I would pick the set of 3 books — ‘Fun with Words’ that covers Synonyms, Homographs & Homophones. ( Buy it here)

These are super simple, beautifully illustrated books that make learning English fun! My son at the young age of 2.5 knew that ‘bark’ could be associated with a tree and a dog! Words like ‘eight’ & ‘ate’ sound alike but have different meanings, and are nicely explained in these books making our conversations so much more interesting.

I am proud that ‘as Indians’ we can teach & learn good English from our very own literary arts.

Books by Pooja Sriram Belur

It’s funny how I can put myself on this list, but also I am grateful to be able to say I have worked hard in my own little way to provide value as an Indian Author for Kids’ books.

My first book, Amma’s Work From Home Buddy, teaches kids to help moms and also normalizes the balancing act moms perform. This is really relevant in the Indian scenario as childcare and the proportion of non-work chores are mostly on moms. Many Indian mothers (and fathers) have resonated with this book and 450+ kids are now learning to be their Amma’s buddies. ( Buy it here)

My second book — Hairdresser in a Hairless Town — is not really based on very ‘Indian Things’. But the books have multiple simple concepts like teaching kids about feelings & emotions. The book portrays diversity and shows how we are all similar and different at the same time. I think these concepts can be valuable to kids (in India and elsewhere) but especially in India where we encounter people who are very different from each other in our own neighborhoods. ( Buy it here)

Let’s not associate all Indian authors to make things ‘desi’ or write in a regional language only. We must give credit to Indian authors and encourage more to come and share their stories else we will only be stuck with old classics; some that don’t even make sense to India our kids are growing up in.

Originally published at https://yajurchronicles.com on September 16, 2022.