Are you always reading only English books to your child? Even though you really want to read to them in another language, perhaps Hindi, you don’t know where to start. A lot of parents are on the lookout for good Hindi books for their kids and even though there’s so much available, one isn’t really sure of the content. Here are a few tried and trusted suggestions:
Hindi Books for Kids: Recommendations for Early Readers
जाफ़ता
by Hew Lewin & Lisa Kopper
Jafta is a delightfully illustrated Hindi book that shares the many moods and emotions of a young African boy, Jafta. Each time he experiences a certain emotion, he visualizes himself as an animal found in the wilderness. The illustrations are just spectacular. They are so lifelike that you and your child will want to keep reading this book over and over again and even re-create the many-body formations Jafta makes. Recommended for readers of all ages, this is a great book to get started on your reading in Hindi journey with your child.
No! नहीं!
by Cheryl Rao & Samidha Gunjal
This bilingual book, with text in English and Hindi, is a very relatable book for early readers. Little Anika is fast asleep as her papa tries many different ways to wake her up. For Everything he comes up with, she says, ‘No! नहीं!’ Will her father manage to wake her up after all?
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तक धिना धिन: Hindi Rhymes, Videos & Worksheets (digital version)
by Usha Chhabra
We all have grown up listening to traditional Hindi rhymes and songs. However, not all of them are relatable to our children. This series comprises a digital Hindi book along with music videos and worksheets. The rhymes and videos are mostly music stories that are not just foot-tapping and catchy but also very relatable. There are fifteen rhymes in all and each rhyme has Hindi text as subtitles in the videos. This is a wonderful resource to help your child learn the language and also have a lot of fun along the way. Highly recommended for teachers too.
भीमा गधा
by Kiran Kasturia & Shweta Mohapatra
Young children absolutely love stories with animals. In this adorable story, Bheema – a donkey is really upset because he just can’t wake up in the morning. He requests a few of his animal friends to help him with his problem. Everyone fails and Bheema is miserable until a tiny creature does the trick. This story is sure to make you and your little one laugh out loud in the end. A perfect book for reading aloud, add lots of expressions and animal sounds as you explore this one.
Little Anbu/ छोटा अन्बू
by Christy Shoba Sudhir & K P Muraleedharan
This is an absolutely adorable story about a street puppy, Anbu. Your family will be happy to meet him and Soosaiamma. Soosaiamma has a delicious-smelling lunch box that entices Anbu and he follows her all over wagging his tail. But does he get to share her food? Written bilingually in Hindi and English, this is a great book to get your child to explore both languages. The story is really sweet and relatable.
माछेर झोल – मछली का सालन
by Richa Jha, Sumanta De & Bharat Tripathi
I have this book in both English and Hindi. Not all translations do justice to the story but this one does. It’s absolutely delicious, pun intended by all means. The illustrations are breathtaking and the storyline will melt your heart. It approaches the subject of visual disability very sensitively. I highly recommend this to all families.
ये सारी किताबे बहुत अच्छी है। में एक बार इन किताबो को जरूर पढ़ूँगा।