What do I do, Mumma? My teacher says “I should practice my हिंदी मात्राएं but I get bored reading the school book”. Can we go and buy some good Hindi books? As his teacher told me the same thing in the last PTM. So, we decided to pick some Hindi books for him. To my surprise, there is not a lot of help when it comes to Hindi book recommendations.
No prizes for guessing! because we focus on English books and reading way more than we do on Hindi.
As I discussed in my previous blog (tap here to read it) if our children are uncomfortable in speaking, reading and learning Hindi. If they are overwhelmed with this subject- we haven’t those doors of comfort for them.
If we want to improve the child’s Hindi knowledge? and show interest in Hindi subject. Have fun with the language (better grades is a by-product of it) then Read on.
These Hindi books are what you need to start.
These books have a mesmerizing story to tell, a life lesson to learn, and an excellent way to become aware of our culture, traditions and customs.
Reading Hindi books help us take pride in our heritage and mastering the language with effortless ease.
Before we start, I want to share a little something that happened at the bookstore. The back story of why we picked up those books.
I don’t and won’t call myself a religious person but I truly believe that our children must know about their roots, rituals and customs.
As a parent, the effort is always to show them the reason behind why we do a certain ritual or why we have certain customs.
Most times we do not have grandparents around to help children with these details.
So every now and then I like picking up books that can help me explain it to the children.
Here’s How we picked our first Hindi Book
I asked the staff at the bookstore to give me a child-friendly version of The Bhagavad Gita.
My son flipped through the pages and decided that he doesn’t understand anything. I see where he comes from. The names and terms used are hard indeed.
Forcing a book onto a child is not a good strategy when trying to get them to enjoy Hindi.
So, after a lot of discussions, we reached an agreement that I will read it to him.
Fair enough!
Now came bedtime and these children I tell you – They DO NOT FORGET ANYTHING.
He produced the book expecting me to read.
We started slow.
One page at a time ( if you have read religious texts before) you would know the words are big and difficult to pronounce.
We read one page. discussed what it meant. ( I am no scholar myself so I answered with the best of my ability, which is mostly from watching Mahabharata on TV as a child….haha).
Weeks passed.
One page led to two and before we knew it he was the one remembering everything we read the day before.
Yes, we haven’t finished reading the book yet. But whatever we read we remember plus it allowed both of us to reconnect with our roots and gain ancient wisdom.
The point is if the child shows reluctance towards reading a particular book/topic then do not just give up.
Try a way that works for you both. By forcing a book onto them, we can take the joy out of it.
To learn to read is to light a fire.
Victor Hugo
and there is no bigger dampener than forcing something onto a child.
Take this journey with your child.
चलो बेटा , किताब उठाओ और आधा घंटा reading कर लो
The child will read because his teachers and parents want him to – not because it is a helpful skill.
Now that we have that cleared.
Let’s begin with Hindi books we can start with.
These are my personal recommendations, so maybe start with these and explore further.
This list is based on primary school Hindi reading skills the child should have.
Here goes
5 Books for Primary school Children that will help them polish their Hindi skills
1. पदमा चली अंतरिक्ष में (Padma Goes to Space)
It is written by Shwetha Prakash and published by Tulika Publications. The book has great story-telling and reading material for all children.
It is suitable for children starting from 2-6 years of age (goes without saying if the child is too young to read, the parent can read it to them).
It can be a sweet bedtime story until the child can read it by themselves.
Fantasy and imagination come easy to children. ‘पदमा चली अंतरिक्ष में’ showcases this side to the hilt. It is a captivating story.
The child can join hands with the story’s main character, Padma. To walk with her into her fantasy land.
Discover the ultimate child fantasy – chocolate dreams in all shapes and sizes. Volcanoes erupting the fruit juice lava that solidifies into ice cream! (oh My!)
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself turning into a child along with your children!
Fantasy always works for all ages! You would agree!
2. फखरुद्दीन का फ्रिज (Fakhruddin ka Fridge)
Written by Meenu Thomas and published by Tulika Books, the book is especially recommended for children of five years and above.
Here is the gist:
The book is all about the child’s fear, intelligence and resourcefulness.
It’s the story of a young boy, Fakrudeen, who gets worried and scared over little things in life.
He reaches the pinnacle of anxiety when his fridge stops functioning. Bombarded by his unending questions like how will he get cold water or fresh food. The annoyed mother asks him to find the answers by himself.
In this book, the character Fakhruddin tries to find the solution. He gets this brilliant idea when he spots birds cooling in muddy water.
The idea of a मिट्टी का घड़ा keeping water cool keeps you gripped to the book.
It will help the child in language development. Fun and learning are a byproduct of reading the book.
3. अब्बा का दिन (Abba Ka Din)
Written by Sunaina Ali, the book is all about sharing a family bond and instilling them in the kids. The book is an entertaining read for children up to six or seven years of age. The book fascinates children as they can relate it to their personal lives.
The story is about a young girl, Ayesha, who always spends a special Sunday. The day becomes special as she spends the entire day with her beloved Abba or dad.
In this story, the father and daughter do basic household jobs together. Cooking, grocery shopping, etc. This Sunday was special because of the times and chats they had together.
The book encourages the child to participate in housework (especially in the times of Covid where we have to manage without maids). This book instils values without any preaching.
We strongly recommend the next one. More so because it will help you revisit your childhood days of watching Malgudi days on tele.
4. मालगुडी की कहानियाँ (Malgudi Days)
The famous work of the amazing R.K Narayan published by Indian Thought Publications.
This book is an eternal classic that is a must-read for every child.
एक बात बोलूं?
ये किताब पढ़ते समय आप ये किताब अपने बच्चे को तो सुनाओगे ही
साथ साथ अपनी बचपन की यादें अपने बच्चों के साथ ताज़ा करोगे
Giving it a special meaning to your child’s life.
This book is a collection of 32 short stories. Set in a fictional village, Malgudi. The story’s hero is an endearing little boy, Swami, who studies in Grade Two.
Revolving around Swami’s school life, family life friends, the stories are around general issues during pre-independence times.
The book helps strengthen a child’s language along with their cognitive, imagination, problem-solving, and moral development.
5. Mahabharata Tales
It is published by Maple Press, the book is suitable for children of nine years and above.
Mahabharata is an epic around the power struggle between two cousins. It teaches us vital life lessons.
Mahabharata Tales introduces the children to Lord Krishna and his version of values, truth and justice. The Bhagavad Gita.
Children get absorbed in the series of short stories. They have plenty of questions and curiosity around the teachings ( I am a witness of it, haha). So, be prepared with all the answers!
Wrapping up
This is a gentle recommendation of interesting books that you can start with.
There is much more out there. Once the child becomes comfortable then explore and find your taste. Be it literature, fantasy, comics – there are plenty of Hindi books out there.
As we hear parents talk about their children being avid readers. It is confined to only English books. Hence there is a total disconnect with Hindi.
Let’s change that.
If you have any personal favourites that you have been reading to your child share them with our homeschooling tribe.
This website called ‘इकतारा’ has a spectacular collection of books from 3 years onwards.
Do check it out.