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.
433 items in this section. Displaying page 2 of 44
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....
The Puppy that wanted to Play
Bruno, the little, brown puppy wanted to play! He needed a friend. “Come play with me!” said Bruno to the white cow. “No! No! No!” replied the white cow, shaking her head. “I have work to do. I have to give milk for Tinnu and Minnu. Milk for their family, too. Go away. I have WORK to do! MOOOOOOOOO!” The Puppy that wanted to Play [Illustrations by Shiju George] Bruno went to the brown cock....
If I Could Fly
If I had a pair of wings, with which to fly, I’d soar straight away, up into the sky. I’d carry a brush, and paints in colours bright, So I could paint every fluffy cloud in sight! I’d paint them purple and yellow and green- They’d be the prettiest you’ve ever seen! I’d paint rainbows in the sky every single day, So I can watch them when I work and play. And when the moon and...
Long bony fingers
Somu loved to read ghost stories. Every time he paid a visit to the library, he got back a teeth-chattering horror tale. It was a signal that he was getting ready to play a scary trick on his friends. He was 10 years old. His parents had learnt to recognise the signs now. The days on which the slim boy’s cocker spaniel eyes shone brighter than ever, and his brown wavy hair seemed to have a movement of their own, they knew that he must have read a ghost tale and was hatching a plot to scare someone....
Forgive and Forget?
Amar and Alok , two friends, set up a business venture together. Both invested a lot of money in the business and spent all their time trying to promote it. For a few years everything seemed to be working out fine. Then Alok wanted to diversify. He persuaded Amar to invest their profits in another venture. Amar wasn’t so sure – what if the venture failed? – but agreed after much persuasion by his friend....
Toys For a Big Boy
Ronit Subramanian was seven years old and he was the tallest student in his class. It made him feel very proud. But when he remembered some of the things he used to do as a small kid, he felt a little shy. He wished his mother would not tell those stories to her friends again and again. Last week his mother’s old school friend had come to see her. They were meeting after 10 years. Ronit was just back from school but his ears pricked up when he heard his mother say in that goofy tone, “You know what my Ronit used to do as a baby?...
Limits of the Mind
Ekalavya was a little boy, born in a poor family, many many years ago. His people lived a little away from Hastinapura, the capital of the Kuru kings. They used to clean other people’s dirt for a profession. And for this reason they were shunned by society. Ekalavya and other kids of his group knew they too had to follow their parents’ professions. Their parents often told them, “You are not meant to go to school....
The Wooden God
Bablu hated the ritual of prayer and fast that his family had been observing for as long as he could remember. The entire family had to wake at dawn and have a dip in the village pond, even if it was in the middle of the bitterest winter. A chilly winter day would find a shivering Bablu trying hard not to think of the million ice-cold needles that would pierce him when he entered the pond to bathe....
The Boy with a Catapult
Our class at school has an odd assortment of boys. There was Harbans Lal who, when asked a difficult question, would take a sip out of his inkpot because he believed it sharpened his wits. If the teacher boxed his ears he would yell, “Help! Murder!” so loudly that teachers and boys from other classes would come running to see what had happened. This caused much embarrassment to the teacher. If the teacher tried to cane him, he would put his arms round him and implore, “Forgive me, Your Majesty!...