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 8 of 44
The Foolish Thief
The moon was like a giant fluorescent light in the sky. It was a full moon night. And a foolish thief was getting ready to rob a villager’s house. He located the house he had decided upon and tip-toed inside. From the silvery world of moonlight outside, he had entered a dark room. He could not even see his own hand or foot. But on the wall near the roof, there was a ventilator. The moon’s rays came sliding through it to create a circle of light....
Young Poets
Todd-Michael St. Pierre writes poems, songs and plays for children. He is a storyteller at schools throughout the southern United States. Among his published works are ‘Somewhere: As Told By Garrett The Parrot’ and ‘The Louisiana State Bird Beauty Pageant’. ‘Young Poets’ is part of a collection, ‘A Treehouse On The Moon’, to be published soon, along with other works such as ‘The Prince Of Nonsense: Silly Poems4Kids’ and ‘Put The People In A Zoo And Set The Animals Free: Poems4Kids To Read Out Loud’....
Have You Seen the Cuckoo Bird?
Have You Seen the Cuckoo Bird? [Illustration by Sudheer Nath] Have you seen the cuckoo bird With raven-coloured wing? Although I haven’t seen one yet I’ve often heard her sing. The cuckoo on our champak tree Is hidden from our sight Because the leaves are thick and close But how she sings at night! ‘Cuckoo… cuckoo’ says the bird ‘I may be dark, it’s true But there is not a single bird...
The Day Everything Went Wrong
On that day everything went wrong, I fell on the ground with a “BONG”! I hurt my elbows and knees And misplaced my cupboard keys. I dreamt of a horrible ghost, At breakfast I burnt my toast. I couldn’t find my tie, I couldn’t find my shirt And when I did find it, it was covered in dirt! I came to know, when I heard the clock’s chime That I had lost control of time....
The Popular Student
Just how popular was Mini? Very. Every year, her classmates voted her as the favourite student. She was easy to get along with and great company. The number of friends she had by far outnumbered those of anyone else in her group. One day the 10-year-old was caught yakkety-yakking in the class and ordered to stay back as punishment. Staying back meant doing something ‘useful’, like helping in the garden or library after school. Now the school in which Mini studied had a rule of sorts....
Roses
Roses in the winter time Roses in the fall The roses in my garden Are the nicest of them all Some prefer the jasmines The champaks on the tree Or the lilies in the pool But it’s the rose for me! The wild roses climbing up the wall Which hang in clusters white The sprawling bush of roses pink Which looks so trim and bright Roses [] The pale rose with a curly edge...
Where is Manbhavan?
“Where’s Manbhavan?” Nitya cried. Her pudgy face showed great surprise. “Where is Manbhavan?” repeated Bhavna, peering into Nitya’s cupboard. The cardboard box in which he lived was wide open – and – absolutely empty! Bhavna gingerly picked up the blouses and skirts that lay arranged in neat piles on the shelf and poked around them with a hesitant finger. “Hmm – he’s not here, that’s for sure,” she said. “My cupboard was shut!” Nitya cried indignantly....
A Town Called Boring
Once upon a time in India,there was a town called Boring. It was by the side of Dull Lake. The people of Boring never smiled; they did not know how to — Whether it was grownups or children. All the children ever did was study. They studied in school all day. On returning home they got busy with homework and with revision for class tests in school. No one played any games — there were no playgrounds in the town....
What's in a Name?
There were two things in the world that Ghagra Geeta Bali hated. The first was the way Rani, the domestic help, combed her hair. Rani said she combed hard to make sure that there was no lice or dandruff in her hair. But she did it with such force that Ghagra Geeta Bali feared it would remove bits of her scalp, as well. The second was, you guessed it, her name. She hated her name so much that she prayed to god every night: Dear god, let me die and be born again....
Sumptuous Delights
History, Mystery, Dal and Biryani Written by Subhadra Sen Gupta Illustrations by Tapas Guha Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd. Sumptuous Delights Don’t you sometimes wish you were on a time machine, able to go back and forth in time at will? Recently, while reading this book of 10 short stories by Subhadra Sen Gupta, curiously but appropriately named History, Mystery, Dal and Biryani, I felt like I was on one....