Incredible India: 8 Colourful And Fun Books Your Kids Will Love To Check Out

A sari is a true symbol of Indianness, and this book captures Indian culture through a little girl's imagination that turns her mother's sari into different things—a train, a river, a hiding place, and even a swing. The beautiful tapestry of textures and patterns of different saris, illustrated by Nina Sabnani, makes this book a visual delight.

Activity: Give your child a few pieces of cloth in different colors, and encourage them to be creative. From dressing up dolls and making a tent to creating thorans (door hangings) and flying parachutes with cloth, there are plenty of options. Let your child's imagination run wild!

Want to introduce your preschooler to the historical and natural wonders of India without boring her? Look no further than Good Night India, a bedtime book that's part of the popular Good Night Our World series. This colorful board book explores our country's various attractions, such as the Himalayas, the Hawa Mahal of Rajasthan, the Valley of Flowers, the Golden Temple, and the Royal Bengal tigers of the Sundarbans. One of the highlights of the book is that it features multicultural characters.

Activity: Give your child cereals and pulses in different colors and help them make the Indian flag with these items. You could give masoor dal for orange, rice for white, and green gram (whole moong) for green. To make the chakra in the flag, you can give your child blue crepe paper.

In this stunning book, a little boy drifts off to sleep under a beautiful quilt that his aunt got from India. He dreams of turning into a mouse and visiting exotic lands far away. Using Indian textiles and patchwork techniques, illustrator Anita Leutwiler turns the whole book into an exquisite quilt. Your child will enjoy discovering myriad places, people, and animals that make our country so vibrant.

Activity: Take a white chart paper and help your child make a collage. Stick small squares of fabric scraps on the chart paper in such a way that the paper resembles a patchwork quilt.

This beautifully illustrated book with its bright colors and geometric patterns gives your child a glimpse of Indian mythology. The story goes that Lord Ganesha breaks his tusk while eating a laddoo and when he throws the tusk in frustration, it hits the poet Vyasa who is composing his masterpiece, the Mahabharata. Ganesha goes on to transcribe the epic poem, using his broken tusk as a writing tool. Your little one will find the story funny, mesmerizing and informative.

Activity: Taking a cue from this book, try out a simple and healthy laddoo recipe. Involve your child in measuring and mixing the ingredients, and rolling the mixture into balls.

Most history lessons draw yawns from children and it's difficult to keep them interested when talking about historic events and their chronology. Not anymore. This book with its eye-catching illustrations is a fun read! It talks about cultural and historical milestones in the Indian subcontinent, different empires, and art and architecture in a lucid, engaging fashion.

Activity: Encourage your child to make a Republic Day scrapbook filled with cuttings and pictures of paintings and monuments, foods, and costumes from different states.

This is a book in the historical fiction genre. It throws light on the Indian independence movement through a tender and poignant story. The mother of 10-year-old Anjali answers Gandhiji's call for satyagraha and joins the freedom movement. Soon, the little girl has to give up her pretty foreign-made clothes for homespun cotton and learns to embrace people from underprivileged communities, without prejudice. How Anjali learns about freedom, non-violence and peace, forms the crux of this thought-provoking book.

Activity: Ask your child to collect around six inspirational quotes by freedom fighters, write them on colorful card stock, embellish the cards using art supplies, and display them on their desk or gift them to loved ones.

Wouldn't we all love to see India through the eyes of acclaimed writer Ruskin Bond? Youngsters who love his simple and thoughtful prose and verse can add this one to their collection. Here, the author focuses on a different kind of India, ordinary people, and their characteristics, the mountains and hills, rivers and streams, flora and fauna, and gives his unique take on the wonder that is India. Every chapter has anecdotes and valuable words of wisdom that will help your teenager get a fresh perspective on life.

Activity: Encourage your teen to observe their surroundings, people in the neighborhood, and animate and inanimate objects, and write down their observations and reflections in a diary.

This is a graphic novel that tells the story of an Indian-American teenager Priyanka, who lives in Los Angeles with her mother. Priyanka wants to know about her past, why her mother left India, never to go back again, and the whereabouts of her father. She finds a pashmina scarf, which transports her to India, and with the help of her aunt, she tries to explore her roots. Mystery, magic and fantasy have been woven into a very realistic story even adults will love.

Activity: As the book is about the mother-daughter bond, it would be a good idea for mothers to bond with their daughters while teaching them how to wear a sari. And fathers, get ready to do a fun photoshoot at home for your daughters! Boys can bond with their mothers by cooking a delicious dish together. You can get the fathers involved too.