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 2 of 44
A Friend in Need
It happened not very long ago. But when you’re a snail, days move at snail’s pace, too. So, if you were to ask our friend the snail when this happened, she’d tell you, it was y-e-ars ago… Well, to get on with our story. In the shade of a cool, damp log, snoozed a shy snail. She wasn’t alone in her cosy home, oh no. She had company. There was a slug the snail called Cousin Glug because, you see, snails and slugs are part of the same family....
Appearances are Deceptive
One day Bina the ant was scurrying about in search of food. Summer was almost over and autumn was approaching. Soon it would be winter and food would be difficult to find. Bina knew it was necessary to stock as much as possible so that her ant colony could have enough to eat during the difficult months ahead. She had collected quite a bit already. Now she was on the lookout for bits of sweetmeats that younger members of her colony loved to munch on after their meal....
The Potter
The summer sun smiles a scorching smile The smile sends shivers through the stoutest hearts A summer smile is reason to sweat But the potter’s back with his cool lifeline! Earthen pots of every size Are piled under a tarpaulin sky Waiting to find new homes And soothe thirsty throats! Their water has a magical taste – The sweet smell of wet earth Or soil that comes alive after The first seasonal shower! The Potter [Illustration by Shinod AP] Some pots are small, like a baby’s song...
What's for Dinner!
A little hen lived at the edge of a forest colony. She lived all by herself and did all her work on her own. Early in the morning she hunted around for worms in the forest; in the day she cleaned up the house; then she cooked, ate and spent the rest of her time in peace. In short, hers was a happy life. Close by lived a middle-aged fox with his old mother. And, as you can imagine, if the fox was a little elderly, mother fox was quite definitely ancient....
Abdullah's Gold
Abdullah was one of the richest men in town, but you could easily mistake him for a beggar. It was his theory that since there were so many people out to rob a rich man, it was safe to pretend to be poor. And so he did. But he really didn’t have to pretend. Stingy to the core he found it very easy to be poor. So what if people sniggered and children called out, “Kanjoos!...
Bhoja's Eagle
Bhoja lived in the terai. The terai is the region at the foot of the Himalayas where the grasses grow tall, and the forest is thick. Bhoja loved the forest. He knew the birds and beasts that lived there. He knew the trees where the honeybees built their huge combs, and the caves where the bats hung upside down. He liked to sit by the pond where the sarus cranes waded, and the deer came when they were thirsty....
A Witch's Gift
This is a story of long, long ago. Surya the sun god had a very beautiful daughter. She was tall, with long golden hair that almost touched her toes. And she was gentle as the soft, wispy white clouds that float by on clear blue day. Though she loved her home in the sky, each morning, as brightness spread across the heavens, she came down earth, to the wonderful green forests that grew there. She walked among the trees all day....
My Robot Robbi
Have you ever seen a robot? No? Meet my robot friend and philosopher, Robbi. To be precise, its name is Robbi-999XHA. You may wonder what is Robbi-999XHA. Just as cars, washing machines or xerox machines are of different models with different names, does this strange name also indicate something similar? Yes, you’re absolutely right! It is a particular domestic model of a robot. 999 stands for the year of its make — 1999, X stands for deluxe model, and HA is for home appliance....
An Unforgetful Trip
The Thunderbirds – This was the name that Namrata, Pooja, Kajari, Latika, Ayesha, Moni, Geetika, Ritu, Parul and Priyanka had given to their gang of 10. Everyone in St. Anna Girls’ School knew them. They were always seen together. “Guys!!!!! The list of places for the mid-term trip has been put up on the notice board,” announced Namrata, who in her excitement had got up on a chair to grab everyone’s attention. That did it. What had been an orderly classroom a few seconds earlier was now an empty class....
A Tale of Two Sons
A businessman had two sons. While he showered the younger son with affection and gifts, he neglected the older son shamelessly. It was completely baffling and no one knew why he did it. While the older son could do nothing right, the younger one could do nothing wrong. When the boys grew up, they were asked to manage the father’s business. But there was a world of difference in the management practices the father expected his boys to follow....