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14 Books You Should Absolutely Read Aloud to Your Kids!

January 31, 2022

Who doesn't love reading out loud? Here are 14 books we think are a lot of fun to read aloud! 

1. A Silly Story of Bondapalli by Shamim Padamsee, Illustrated by Ashok Rajagopalan


A really funny book from Tulika Publishers, this one is reminiscent of our Chandamama and Tinkle comic days. A Prince in a kingdom is a picky eater. Always saying No! Awful! Take it Away! How bondas came into being, how the prince fell in love with bondas and what happens when everyone in the kingdom only eats bondas? Of course, you make the neighboring kingdom of lean mean folks pretty jealous! What happens next?
 

Buy this book now! 

2. Bindiya in India by Monique Kamaria Chheda, MD and illustrated by Debasmita Dasgupta

A nine-year-old girl named Bindiya
takes her very first trip to India,
Stepping off the plane she looks around,
and sees her family waiting on the ground 
Coming for her cousin's shaadi,
they rush to the family gaadi


Bindiya in India is the story of a young Indian-American girl's first trip to India for an Indian wedding. Weaving together Hindi and English, the children's illustrated book takes place in the 1990s. Follow Bindiya as she meets her extended family for the first time, celebrates Indian wedding traditions, and creates memories and bonds to last a lifetime.


Buy this book now!

3. Thakitta Tharikitta Bouncing Ball by Jacob Samson Muttada, Illustrated by Ashok Rajagopalan  

The pages of this book resound with the rhythm of dance as Abu's big red ball bounces in tune with the delightful illustrations. A wonderful read-aloud for the little ones! 

Click below to watch our founder perform 'Thakitta Tharikitta Bouncing Ball!'

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4. Catch that Crocodile by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Pulak Biswas


Anushka Ravishankar's rhyming words that lend themselves to reading aloud!


Buy this book now!

5. What Did the Monster Child Eat Today? by Sampurna Chattarji, illustrated by Vibha Surya

This delightful book is about a little girl who asks us not to be fooled by how she looks -- she is a little monster inside her head! We see her proclaiming all that she eats because she is a monster child: eyeballs as runny as egg-yolk, delicious lice (instead of rice) crispies burnt extra black (we like all the play on words) and more.  

Guess what I had for lunch?
My ultimate treat...
an Egyptian mummy
wrapped up in a sheet.

It's super good fun and the rhymes are perfect to read out loud!


Buy this book now!  

6. Gajapati Kulapati written and illustrated by Ashok Rajagopalan  

With repetitive sounds and words that rhythmically roll right through the pages, this story puts the zing back into storytelling and reading aloud. Bright, zesty pictures and dynamic visual text echo the lilt, making it one big book of fun. All the four books on the Gajapati series are super fun to read out -- some of the best read-aloud books we have ever read!


Buy this book now!

7. Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth, illustrated by JeffreyEbbeler  

A young energetic boy is left in the custody of his elder sister when the parents are away from home. His sister, who is overloaded with household chores and meal preparations, is reluctant to babysit her brother. She chooses to immerse herself in the book of her choice and the little brother tries to do the same with his book about tigers!. But reading a book alone is no fun! After minutes of loneliness with his book, the little brother is all agog to hear the tiger story in his sister's voice. In an attempt to gain his sister's attention, he grows insistent and imaginative.

And once you conjure a tiger, you never know where it will take you or how far the gag will go.


Buy this book now!

8. Tiger on a Tree by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Pulak Biswas  

From the beloved children’s book author Anushka Ravishankar, comes this rhyming little story of a tiger who crosses the river and gets scared of a goat and climbs a tree. The humans then trap him and wonder what to do with him? “He’s caught. He’s got. Now what?” they say. They then vote unanimously to release him and the book circles back to “Tiger, Tiger, On the shore”.

The illustrations by Pulak Biswas in black, white and orange have a earthy quality to it, in the same style as Catch That Crocodile, another favorite with us.



Buy this book now!  

9. The Why Why Girl by Mahasweta Devi  

Moyna lives in a little tribal village. She cannot go to school because she has to tend the goats, collect the firewood, fetch the water... But she is so full of questions that the postmaster calls her the 'why-why girl'!

Mahasweta Devi is one of India's foremost writers. In this delightful story, her first picture book, and the only children's book she has written in English, she tells us how she meets Moyna (and her mongoose!) and helps her find answers to all the why-whys - in books, that Moyna herself learns to read. Some of the translations have been done by well-known writers: Malayalam by Paul Zacharia, Tamil by Ambai, and Kannada by Girish Karnad.


Buy this book now!  

10. Alphabets are Amazing Animals by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Christiane Pieper

"Kind Kangaroos Kissing Kiwis", there is no end to the strange things animals get up to in this alliterative book! You will enjoy reading it out aloud! You will love this one so much you would not want to put it down. We think Anushka Ravishankar is a true master of read-aloud books.

Buy this book now!

Buy this book now! 

11. Rooster Raga by Natasha Sharma, Illustrated by Priya Kuriyan  

Do roosters sing ragas? Ruru does, but like all true artistes, discovers it after a struggle! This foot-tapping story, vibrantly illustrated, invites readers to move and sing, clap and tap along with the animated Ruru and friends.

2015: Best Indian Children's Book (0-5 years), Parents and Kids Choice Award.

Buy this book now! 

12. Farmer Falgu goes on a Trip by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Kanika Nair

Farmer Falgu decides to set out on a journey to find some silence. One by one, he is joined by a new crew of noisemakers culminating in a cumulative cacophony. When he finally finds the silence that he has been craving for, he realizes that it was not all that he had imagined it to be.

Buy this book now!  

13. Not Yet! by Nandana Dev Sen, illustrated by Niloufer Wadia

Not Yet! describes an everyday bedtime ritual involving an energetic child and her loving mom. Mom tries to wheedle her way into retiring for the night, but it is hard to persuade her animal-loving child switch to routine from her reverie. There is so much to do before bedtime and so little time. The little one says that she is not ready for bed yet, so is a mom to do than to try and woo?


Buy this book now!

Buy this book now!  

14. Excuse Me, Is This India? by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Anita Leutwilerhe 

Excuse Me, Is This India? Written By Anushka Ravishankar and Illustrated by Anita Leutwilerhe is a lovely story that moves with a fluidity that makes you want to keep turning pages. Anna's aunt has come back from India and she gives Anna a quilt with pictures of all the things she has seen in India. Anna cuddles into the quilt and then her story begins!


Buy this book now!

Children's Book Excerpts and Read Alouds from our Soundcloud Channel


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About the author:
Preethi is the Founder of Toka Box. She loves books and you will usually find her reading, gardening or creating fun literacy and STEAM activities for Toka Box.