Children’s Books about India

A large collection of stories for kids about India that highlight India’s culture, India’s mythology, and even the flavorful food of India! These beautiful picture books will help your child learn and appreciate what makes India so special.

Let’s get ready to go on an adventure to India through this hand-picked collection of children’s books!

Books about India for Kids

My husband is from India and we are always looking for books for our children to learn about India. We select books to recommend that discuss the land, landmarks, social life, festivals, language, religion, folktales, events, and clothing.

Anything that we can use to encourage our children to learn about their culture since we can’t visit there all the time. Of course, nothing can replace an actual visit to spend time in the daily life of a culture, especially in India.

Here are a few photos of our everyday experiences when we brought our daughter for the first time a few years ago for my sister-in-law’s wedding. She enjoyed a rickshaw ride, playing with the front gate, and even learning to sweep with an Indian broom.

Here’s a peek at our latest trip to New Delhi India with both of our girls and their cousins.

Children looking at Taj Mahal from a distance in Agra, India

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Books about India for Kids

Here are some of the books that we’ve been enjoying in our house about India.

Informational Books about India

Starting with the facts about India is a good place to begin this learning adventure with your child. Take a moment and find on your map where the country of India is located and its 1.38 billion citizens.

A Kid’s Guide to India
A Children’s History of India by Subhadra Sen Gupta
The History of India for Children by Archana Garodia Gupta

I Is for India (World Alphabets)
Illustrated Atlas of India: A Visual Guide to the Land, Its People and Culture
Tiny Travelers India Treasure Quest by Susie Jaramillo
We, The Children Of India by Seth Leila

India Unit for Kids - a virtual field trip log for India

DOWNLOAD INDIA UNIT FOR KIDS

Books About Daily Life in India

The next types of books to explore are the daily activities that happen in India.

Namaste Is a Greeting by Suma Subramaniam
Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand
I’ll Go and Come Back by Rajani LaRocca
Gope and Meera: A Migration Story by Ritu Hemnani and Samidha Gunjal

Books for Learning about Clothing from India

One special thing that your child may notice is that fashion can look different when you’re connecting with families from India. Take this time to learn about Saris and Lenghas and even the Bindi’s the women from India will where at times.

A Sari for Ammi
Leila in Saffron by Rukhsanna Guidroz
The Katha Chest by Radhiah Chowdhury
How to Wear a Sari by Darshana Khiani

Stories from India for Kids

There are so many stories and folktales that have come from India since it’s beginning of civilization, many years ago. You may even spend some time exploring how old India is.

Maya and Leela Present: Dances of India
Shubh Raatri Dost/Good Night Friend
The Drum: A Folktale from India
Where Three Oceans Meet by Rajani LaRocca

Books about Food in India

The food that can be found in Indian kitchens and restaurants is full of flavor and aroma. It’s personally one of my favorite types of food. Here’s a peek at a few of our favorite Indian recipes to make with kids.

Bilal Cooks Daal
10 Gulab Jamuns by Sandhya Acharya (Listen to the Read Aloud)
P Is for Poppadoms!: An Indian Alphabet Book by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal (Listen to Read Aloud)

Masala Chai, Fast and Slow by Rajani LaRocca
India on a Plate!: Indian Food from A to Z by Archana Sreenivasan
Anni Dreams of Biryani by Namita Moolani Mehra

Chaiwala! by Priti Birla Maheshwari
Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi
Kalamata’s Kitchen by Sarah Thomas

One Grain Of Rice by Demi
The Spice Box by Meera Sriram
Meera Makes Aloo Paratha by Sangeetha Narayan

Books about Indian Culture for Kids

One thing that can be fun to explore when learning about other countries is the culture that can be seen in the everyday lives of its citizens. These stories highlight all the special things in Indian culture from the eyes of a child.

Here’s a peek at our recent trip to New Delhi, India with our kids with tips for where to travel with kids.

The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal (Listen to Read Aloud)
Good Night India (Good Night Our World) by Nitya Khemka
Mina vs. the Monsoon

Finding Om
Thread of Love by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal (Listen to Read Aloud)
Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers by Rajani LaRocca
Always Anjali

Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps by Srividhya Venkat
I Am An Amazing Asian Girl: A Positive Affirmation Book For Asian Girls by Yobe Qiu
I Am a Bold Asian Boy: A Positive Affirmation Book for Asian Boys by Yobe Qiu
Asian Adventures A-Z Foods: Delicious Asian Foods From A-Z by Yobe Qiu
Asian Adventures A-Z by Yobe Qiu
American Desi by Jyoti Rajan Gopal
A Garden in My Hands by Meera Sriram

Lali’s Feather by Farhana Zia
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins
Lali’s Flip-Flops by Farhana Zia

Seven Golden Rings by Rajani Larocca
She Sang for India: How M.S. Subbulakshmi Used Her Voice for Change by Suma Subramaniam
Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh
Amma, Take Me To The Golden Temple by Bhakti Mathur
Amma, Take Me to Tirupati by Bhakti Mathur
Our World: India by Meera Sriram

Sikandra Fort Entry Building in Agra, India

Hindi Books for Kids

There are many languages spoken in India. The Indian constitution recognizes 22 major languages of India. Just around half of those living in India speak Hindi.

Hindi is the fourth most spoken language in the world after Mandarin, Spanish, and English.

A is for Anaar: My First Hindi Alphabet Book
My First Hindi Words! (There are more in this series too!)
Bindi Baby Animals (Hindi): A Beginner Language Book for Hindi Children (There a whole series of these books)

Diwali Books for Kids

One of the most popular festivals in India is Diwali. Here are a few of our favorite books about this festival of lights.

We’ve shared our favorite Diwali books for kids here in this article.

Holi Books for Kids

Explore and learn about the festival of colors as Hindu families welcome spring.

These are our favorite Holi books for kids.

Books about Hindu Gods

As you explore more about India, you’ll discover that about 95% of the world’s Hindus live in India. Nearly 80% of India’s Population. Here are a few kid-friendly books about Hindu Gods and Hindu festivals.

Ganesha’s Great Race by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes
Ramayana for Kids by Rita Gandhi
The Amma Tell Me Krishna Trilogy: Three Book Set by Bhakti Mathur

My Little Book of Lakshmi by Penguin India
My Little Book of Ganesha by Penguin India
My Little Book of Durga by Penguin India

My Little Book of Shiva by Penguin India
My Little Book of Hanuman by Penguin India
My Little Book of Krishna by Penguin India
My Little Book of Gods and Goddesses Boxset

Ten Heroes, The incarnations of Sri Vishnu by Chanel Enjoem
Little Goloka by Chanel Enjoem
Please Please Open Your Eyes by Chanel Enjoem

What are the best children’s books about India?

The collection of choices of books about India has grown quite a bit over the years. This updated list highlights to top picks of children’s picture books all about India.

Which book about India will you read first?

Child holding India flag (copyrighted image)

Activities about India For Kids

This past month I had the chance to go into my daughter’s classroom and teach about India. This experience is something I highly recommend to anyone whose family background is from another country. It was so much fun to share with the students and also helps them to discover something special about each other. Here’s the printables we used about India.

As I talked about India with the students I also shared personal photos of our family visiting the sites and landmarks we were sharing in the book. It seemed to bring everything to life for the kids. I know many of them even went home to share with their families what they had learned.

I also created an India Printable for them each time I visited so that they could share the new words and places they had learned about. Plus it’s a great way for parents to follow up at home.

Want more: Explore our Let’s Learn about India Series