Recently, I was asked by another mom about cultural books for kids. I thought it would be a great way to teach my kids about Holi (as known as, the festival of colors). Holi is a Hindu celebration about love, good over evil and the welcoming of spring. As a child this was one of my favorite Hindu holiday’s to celebrated; typically celebrated in March though May. I really enjoyed that our community would come together play with colorful powders, water, eat and dance with one another. Now that I am parent I wanted to find kid friendly books related to this Hindu celebration that I could share with my kids.
So when another mom inquired about cultural books I began my search. I found several books on the Kitaab World children’s book site also on Amazon that I really like relating to Holi. Narrowing it down to only two along with some other books that I knew my kids would love. Here are five of my choices for kids cultural books that are great at all ages.
Holi Colors by Rina Singh
Holi Colors is a colorful board book that is perfect for teaching children about their colors, family love and the Hindu celebration Holi. Since my daughter is currently learning colors this was a great choice to do just that! I really like that this board book was less than six dollars on Amazon. I would recommend Holi Colors for toddler ages 2-3 who are learning their colors.
We Throw Color on Each Other! by Kavita G. Shai
We Throw Color on each Other is an animated fun story that I choose because we love elephants. In this book a family of elephants share how they celebrate Holi with each other. It is also a great language learning resource for kids as it has the colors printed in Hindi on one page. I recommend this book for ages 4-7 and it is also only $6 on Amazon.
Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes
Ganesh’s Sweet Tooth is one of my favorites! I love that It is about my favorite Hindu god Ganesha and for the story it tells. A funny energetic story about Ganesha as a kid and the adventures he gets into with his friend Mr. Mouse. What I love most is that it help me teach my kids about our religion in away that they can relate to it. Only $8 on Amazon it is a great addition to your kids library.
Hanuman’s Adventures in the Nether World by Madhavi S Mahadevan
Hanuman is my son’s favorite Hindu God. So much so he is always asking me to tell the story of Hanuman and knows the entire Hanuman Chalisa. So when I found Hanumans Adverntures on Kitaab World, I had to purchase it (only $9 on KitaabWorld). It is the classical story of Hanuman’s triumph of over evil. Coming to the aide of Prince Rama to save the Princess Sita from the underworld. I really like that this story is brought to life in away that children of all ages can enjoy. I recommend this book for ages 6 and up.
Hanuman by Om Kidz
Here is another Hanuman book that I liked because it was a board book. This way my daughter could enjoy reading about Hanuman the wind god without damaging it much. I like the bright illustrations also that it teaches about who Hanuman is. Another affordable book this on is less than $6 on Kitaab World. Perfect for ages 2-4 years.
Learning about culture and celebrations was something that was taught to me mostly in temple as a child. Books like these were not available instead I remember watching very long videos in Hindi. Now as a parent I want to be able to share these customs and celebrations with my kids in a way that they can relate. Many of these stories have been retold in manner that is relatable and can be used as cultural learning tools for kids.
I hope that you enjoy my picks for cultural books that you too can incorporate into your child’s daily reading routines. I would love to know what kind of cultural books you like for your kids. Please leave me a comment below.
Thanks for reading
Cindy
