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 16 of 44
Work while You Work
Work while you work, Play while you play; One thing each time, All that you do, Do with your might; Things done by halves Are not done right Work while You Work []
How Man and Dog Became Friends
There they were – two little pups crying for their mother. She had just been killed by Deer. They sobbed so much and for so long that they got tired and lay down for a while. It was then that they decided to take revenge on Deer for killing their mother. Once they had decided what they were going to do, they felt better. Soon, they realised they were too small to be able to catch Deer....
The Adventures of a Magic Turtle
One winter afternoon, a little boy sat below a ‘neem’ tree, next to a river. He was returning from school, and carried a large bag on his back. He looked very sad. And as he sat staring at the water, big fat tears started dripping from his eyes creating little round ripples in the pond. The Adventures of a Magic Turtle [Illustrations by Amarjeet Malik] He had only been sitting there for a short while, when he saw a turtle swimming towards him....
Two Girls and a Lotus
On top of a three-hundred-foot hill was a quaint old temple. A hunched, old man performed puja here. Enshrined in the centre of the temple was a beautiful idol. Usha and Lalita, two good friends, enjoyed talking to the kindly temple priest and watching him adorn the beautiful idol with multicoloured flowers. Often in the morning, Usha and Lalita climbed the hill, dancing between the rhododendron bushes, jumping, singing and playing hide-and-seek. Woken from its slumber, a dovelet would coo sleepily, “Coo!...
The Singing Donkey
Long ago there was a small little town called Devpur. In this town lived a washerman and his old, lean donkey called Bhola. Bhola helped the washerman with his work. Every morning Bhola carried a pile of dirty clothes to the ghats and got back washed clothes in the evening. At nights Bhola was allowed to roam around and do whatever he wanted. One night during his usual nightly stroll he met a fox named Bijli....
Jumbo House
Quick, quick, quick Lay a brick, brick, brick Make it stick stick stick. You know whose house it is? Of Jumbo the kid, kid, kid That’s why it’s so big, big, big. Do you know what will happen IF even one brick comes loose – and Jumbo trips on that brick? Jumbo House [Illustration by Shinod AP] Jumbo will take apart every brick, brick, brick He’ll make it quick, quick, quick!...
Try, Try Again
‘Tis a lesson you should heed, Try, try again; If at first you don’t succeed, Try, try again; Then your courage should appear, For, if you will persevere, You will conquer, never fear; Try, try again Try, Try Again []
Town Mouse and Country Mouse
A town mouse and a country mouse were cousins. Now, as it usually happens in such cases, the attire and mannerisms of the two cousins reflected where they lived. But they were fond of each other. While the town mouse was a natty-dresser, a little brisk in her movements, and always in a hurry, the country mouse was the proverbial bumpkin, with her slow unhurried ways and manner. But this factor didn’t affect their friendship. The town mouse visited the country mouse often, and stayed with her in her little house next to the kitchen that belonged to the village school....
Two Fish and a Frog
In a certain lake there lived two fish, Multiwit and Centiwit by name. In course of time they became friendly with a frog named Uniwit. The three of them would spend some time by the lakeside, experiencing the pleasures of good conversation; then they would return again into the water. Once, while the three were engaged in a colloquium at sunset, some fishermen passed by the lake with nets in their hands and many fish they had caught on their heads....
The Cookie
The dining table was loaded with goodies – cake, pastries, pies, halwa, laddoo and yes, her favourite cookies. Nina wanted to eat them all. The 10-year-old stuffed a couple of cookies in her mouth but the cookies tasted a little different. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t gulp them down. The dream broke at that point. Nina woke up with a start and found herself chewing on a bed sheet. She was in her dormitory bed and it was pitch dark....