Today marks the start of my favorite Indian festival, Navratri. Of course, I love Deepavali too, and the myriad others we have throughout the year. But Navratri has a special place in my heart; memories mingle with each other to tug at my heart strings; while nostalgia stirs up the crinkle of old newspapers lovingly protecting clay dolls and the aroma of endless “donnais of sundal” day after day along with the deliciousness of sweet badam (almond) milk generously flavored with cardamom and saffron. There is more, of course, and I will tell you about it a little later this week; but today’s post is for the 9 great books I want to tell you about for the Indian festival of Navratri.
(And if you want to read more about the festival now, check out the other posts I have linked above)
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9 Great Books for the Indian festival of Navratri
Durga / Lakshmi / Saraswathi (Om Kidz)
Title: Durga / Lakshmi / Saraswathi
Author: Various
Publishers: Om Books/Om Kidz
Pub Date: Various
Genre: Children’s Fiction/Gods and Goddesses
Age-Range: 3 – 6 years
Goodreads || Book Depository || Barnes and Noble
Note I have only linked the pictured book in above links but you can also find the other books for Durga and Lakshmi when you check this one. These cutout board books work very well for the littlest readers.
Amma Tell me About Durga Puja
Title: Amma Tell me About Durga Puja
Author: Bhakti Mathur
Publishers: Anjana Publishing
Pub Date: September 1, 2016
Genre: Children’s Fiction/Gods and Goddesses
Age-Range: 4 – 8 years
Goodreads || Book Depository || Barnes and Noble || IndieBound|| BookShop
A series of books that are perfect to introduce little readers to various facets of Indian festivals, as well as gods and goddesses. This one focuses on the goddess Durga, and the festival that celebrates her.
Amma Tell me About Ramayana
Title: Amma Tell me About Ramayana
Author: Bhakti Mathur
Publishers: Anjana Publishing
Pub Date: December 15th 2011
Genre: Children’s Fiction/Gods and Goddesses
Age-Range: 4 – 8 years
Goodreads || Book Depository || Barnes and Noble || IndieBound|| BookShop
A series of books that are perfect to introduce little readers to various facets of Indian festivals, as well as gods and goddesses. This book tells young readers about the Indian epic, Ramayana.
Ramayana: Divine Loophole
Title: Ramayana: Divine Loophole
Author: Sanjay Patel
Publishers: Chronicle Books
Pub Date: February 10th 2010
Genre: Children’s Fiction/Gods and Goddesses
Age-Range: For all ages
Source: Library
Goodreads || Book Depository || Barnes and Noble || IndieBound|| BookShop
I truly enjoy reading Sanjay Patel’s books, and I know this one is going to be no exception. The combination of his delightful storytelling and really cool illustrations make this book a worth-it read.
Devis The Mother Goddesses
Title: Devis The Mother Goddesses
Author:
Publishers: Om Books
Pub Date: November 30, 2008
Genre: Children’s Fiction/Gods and Goddesses
Age-Range: 7 – 10 years
A book that hails the Devis – the Hindu goddesses including Lakshmi, Saraswathi, Durga and Kali – in five beautifully illustrated tales in easy to understand language
Hanuman’s Ramayana
Title: Hanuman’s Ramayana
Author: Devdutt Pattnaik
Publishers: Tulika Publishers
Pub Date: August 1, 2010
Genre: Children’s Fiction/Gods and Goddesses
Age-Range: 8+
One of India’s epics — the Ramayana — is authored by Valmiki. In this book, the Devdutt Pattnaik attempts to give Valmiki some lighthearted competition! Pattnaik retells the Ramayana — Hanuman’s version of it. This brilliant and humorous storytelling with quirky illustrations based on the Mithila folk art of India proves that a story can be approached in many delightful ways.
The Ramayana (series by Ashok Banker)
Title: The Ramayana – Series
Author: Ashok Banker
Publishers: Aspect
Pub Date: May 1, 2004
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Age-Range: YA and up
I discovered this series recently, and I am going to read these soon as I can. The reviews make me want to get started now, though, after the Cybils, since these books are each 500+ pgs.
Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana
Title: Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana
Author: Devdutt Pattnaik
Publishers: India Penguin
Pub Date: October 21, 2013
Genre: Fiction/Indian Mythology
Goodreads || Book Depository || IndieBound
Another retelling of the Ramayana from Devdutt Pattnaik – this time from the point of Sita.
Tales of Durga
Title: Tales of Durga
Author: Subba Rao/Ananth Pai
Publishers: Amar Chitra Katha
Pub Date: April 1, 1971
Genre: Children’s Fiction/Gods and Goddesses
Age-Range: All ages
I had to include Amar Chitra Katha. This was my favorite and maybe first (well, after stories told by family) introduction to Indian mythology, and more!
A Note
I have always enjoyed stories from Indian mythology, and the festival of Navratri (or Navaratri) brings to the forefront many of them. The stories of the Hindu goddesses as well as the Ramayana are among the more popular ones for this festival.
Pin Me
Note: The photo for the pin below is my golu (doll-festival celebrated in the southern states in India) for this year. It is a toned-down version of previous years with everyone staying in their homes, and with a salute to this year.
And Now, the End of This Post
Dear reader, I love how books introduce us to other cultures, traditions, myths and legends, and more. For those of you who don’t celebrate this festival, have you heard of it before, or know others who do celebrate? Have you read any of these books?
I haven’t read any of the books and I didn’t know about the festival, but the colours of the books are beautiful.
I have only been to India once, a few years ago, but I would love to return – maybe one day when the borders are all open again.
I have not heard of the festival of Navratri, the art on these books is engaging and beautiful. I am sure the content is also!
Thanks for sharing these books. I don’t know a lot about Indian holidays, but they are celebrated by many folks in my community. I want to be more informed about books I can recommend for their children during these times. This is such a helpful post! I will definitely come back to it.
You have chosen fantastic books. Never heard of the festival until now.
Very interesting to learn of other cultures with these intriguing books listed.
I love this list! It’s always fun to see books that connect with different holidays and festivals. Thanks for sharing 🙂