Multicultural children’s literature from across the world – stories, poems, folktales and books in English for kids, and stories in Hindi and poems in Hindi too. Original literature in English for kids from around the globe and book reviews and recommended reading lists for children.
432 items in this section. Displaying page 10 of 44
Haroo, the Croc
Here’s a lazy crocodile Snoozing on the bank He is quick at catching prey So do keep off his tank! His skin is rough, his teeth so sharp And he is moody too So don’t annoy or throw him stones And take care what you do! Haroo, the Croc [Illustration by Sudheer Nath] (C) Swapna Dutta
The Rainbow
Out in the lush, green garden Binnu chased the multi-coloured butterflies which flitted from flower to flower. Plants take root easily during the monsoon and with plenty of water to nourish them, new sprouts appear. The Rainbow [Translated by:Mala Singh] Suddenly there was a flash of lightening. Soon, the sky was completely overcast and it begun to rain. Binnu and his mother sheltered in the verandah and watched the rain. The rain stopped after a while and the sun peeped out from behind the clouds....
The Honest Thief
There was once a cunning thief, Bhairav, who always planned his moves carefully. One day he decided to rob the holy men who came to the local temple from far off lands for the temple’s annual festival. He calculated that all these people came from distant towns, so they must be carrying lots of money. So Bhairav dressed up like a holy man and went to attend the festival. At the temple, he slowly made friends with one particular person who appeared to be wealthy....
Don't Throw the Seeds Away...
It makes you healthy, It gives you energy, An apple or a guava An orange or a papaya Eat a fruit everyday But don’t throw the seeds away. Here’s a simple thing you can do You could tell all your friends too! Plant the seed in the soil (It doesn’t take much time or toil) Pour a little water there A young shoot will soon appear. In time it’ll become a big tree – Which gives so much to you and me!...
Double it up!
Raju and Savitri lived in Tanjore in the state of Tamil Nadu. Raju worked in the rice fields of a local landlord or zamindar for six months a year. In turn, he received four sacks of rice as salary. He would then sell three of them in the local market and keep one sack for himself for food. At the local market he would exchange the rice for vegetables, flour, and groceries. Savitri would do the cooking and washing and look after the home....
The Price of Pride
This is one story from the book “The Best Thirteen: A collection of the best stories from 13 languages of India”. You know that a pearl can be so valuable that it is said to be without price. Pearls are formed inside oysters who live on the ocean-bed inside their shells. This is the story of one such oyster. This oyster was very pleased with himself because he believed that he was the most important creature in the world....
Stripes Tiger and the Boy
“Once upon a time… Stories start like that don’t they? Our story, too, starts like that as my grandma didn’t know when it happened." Once upon a time, there lived a boy called Rahul in a village. One day, he was walking down a path when he came upon a large tiger trapped in a wooden cage. The villagers had caught him for stealing lambs. “Hey mister!” cried the tiger as soon as he saw Rahul, “I am so thirsty....
Flying Turtle
There was a large pond in the middle of a jungle. All kinds of animals came to drink water from it. A small turtle had been living by the pond for many years. And he had become good friends with two cranes who lived there too. They used to play together, and tell each other stories. The cranes would fly to far away lands and when they returned to the pond, they would tell the turtle stories about all that they saw....
How the Dragon Came to be
Long ago, there lived in China a young boy called Chi Yu. Chi Yu lived with his mother in a tiny house at the edge of the village. There were beautiful green meadows all around and tall hills. Every year after the rains, the fields looked greener and more beautiful than ever before. Each morning as the sun peeped into his window, Chi Yu jumped out of bed. He ran to the fields to cut the fresh grass that had grown at night....
The Ungrateful Friend
This happened a long long time ago. In a small village in southern Orissa, there lived an old woodcutter. One day, when he was going to the forest to cut wood, he met the tiger. The woodcutter stopped in his tracks on seeing the king of the jungle. But, strangely enough, the tiger did not roar on seeing the woodcutter. He remained silent. The woodcutter was baffled. How was he to know that the tiger was blind?...