9 Navratri Books for Kids: Stories, Crafts & Activities for the Nine Nights and Dussehra
Nine nights, nine books, and one big tenth day. This list pairs each night of Navratri with a picture book your kids can read, plus a simple craft or activity to go with it, then wraps up with ideas for Dussehra. Together they cover the Durga story, golu dolls, garba, kolam/alponas/rangolis, music, dance and, of course, the festival snacks.
What is Navratri? (A quick explanation for kids)
Navratri means "nine nights." It is a Hindu festival that honors the Goddess Durga, also called Devi or Shakti, and celebrates the victory of good over evil. Families pray, dress up, sing, dance and visit friends for nine nights. On the tenth day, called Dussehra or Vijayadashami, everyone celebrates the win.
One of the most loved Navratri stories for kids is how Durga, riding her lion, battles the buffalo demon Mahishasura for nine days and defeats him on the tenth. During the festival, people also honor nine forms of the goddess, called the Navadurga, one on each night.
The festival looks different across India, which is part of the fun:
- Bengal celebrates Durga Puja, with giant Durga idols and pandals.
- Gujarat dances garba and dandiya raas late into the night.
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh set up golu (bommai kolu, bombe habba), steps of display dolls, and children go golu hopping to see friends' displays and collect sundal.
- Kerala and South India honor Saraswati, goddess of learning, music and the arts. Many children start a new skill on Vijayadashami.
The books below take you through all of it.
1. Amma, Tell Me About Durga Puja + Celebrate Durga Puja With Me
Best for: ages 3 to 5 · Theme: the Durga story and Durga Puja
Start the festival with the story itself. Bhakti Mathur's Amma, Tell Me About Durga Puja opens on a city getting ready for Pujo, then tells how Ma Durga defeated Mahishasura, all in bouncy rhyme that is a joy to read aloud. Shoumi Sen's Celebrate Durga Puja With Me follows Riya through the five days of Pujo, from Shashti to Dashami, explaining what happens each day without overloading little ones. Read together, one gives kids the "why" and the other the "how." These are our top Durga books for kids.
Activity: Download this "Make a Alpona" Durga Puja Printable
Shop Amma, Tell Me About Durga Puja · Shop Celebrate Durga Puja With Me
2. Navya Sings for Navarathri + Seven Swaras
Best for: ages 4 to 8 · Theme: golu, music and courage
Navya loves everything about Navarathri, from golu hopping to visiting family, except singing in front of people. In this 2024 picture book by Lakshmi Thamizhmani, illustrated by Avani Dwivedi, Navya finds her voice with help from the women in her family and the strength of Durga. It is a warm story about girls being brave, and the back of the book includes a glossary, more about the festival and a chickpea sundal recipe.
Pair it with Seven Swaras for a gentle introduction to Carnatic music and the seven notes of Indian music: sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni
Activity: Make sundal together using the recipe in the book, then sing sa-re-ga-ma like Navya.
Shop Navya Sings for Navrathri · Shop Seven Swaras (English or Tamil Editions)
3. My Little Book of Nava Durga + The Jai Jais: The Goddesses 4-Book Set
Best for: ages 3+ · Theme: the nine forms of Durga
This sturdy Puffin board book by Nalini Ramachandran, illustrated by Priyanka Pachpande, introduces the nine forms of Durga in short, simple lines. It is the perfect bedtime book for the nine nights: read one goddess each evening.
The nine forms are Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri.
Then meet more of the divine feminine with The Jai Jais: The Goddesses by Sunitha Shah. This set of four short books introduces Durga the warrior, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kali, explaining who each goddess is, her family, and why she carries what she does. Durga's book even answers every child's favorite question: why does she have so many weapons? Saraswati's book is a natural fit for the last days of Navratri, when families honor learning and the arts.
Activity: Dress up in the colors of Navratri to celebrate and honor the Goddess, make sure to check this year's color list
Shop My Little Book of Nava Durga · Shop The Jai Jais: The Goddesses
4. Arthi's Bomma
Best for: ages 5 to 7 · Theme: handmade dolls and family craft
Arthi's nanna carves wooden bommalu in Kondapalli, Andhra Pradesh, and Arthi wishes he did anything else, because nobody seems to play with wooden dolls anymore. So she asks everyone in her doll-making village why these dolls matter, and slowly discovers the stories, memories and color packed into each one. Written by Mamta Nainy and illustrated by Shruti Prabhu, it was Highly Commended for the 2024 South Asia Book Award. It is a lovely way to explain why golu dolls are treasured and passed down.
Activity: Shape a small doll from air-dry clay or a cardboard tube and give it a place of honor on your golu.
5. The Doll That Bommakka Made
Best for: ages 3 to 6 · Theme: golu dolls
This cumulative tale starts with a little ball of clay and builds, page by page, into a beautiful dancing doll. It is inspired by the Thanjavur thalaiyatti bommai, the bobble-headed dolls that sway on golu steps across South India. The repeating text makes it a great read-aloud for little ones, and it is our favorite way to introduce golu.
Activity: Build a mini golu at home. Stack shoeboxes or books into 3, 5 or 7 steps, cover them with a cloth, and let kids arrange their toys and dolls.
Shop The Doll That Bommakka Made
6. The Boy Who Wore Bangles
Best for: ages 6+ · Theme: garba, Gujarati Navratri and being yourself
Bhargav loves Navratri: the swirling chaniyas, the popat dance steps, the pendas after aarti, and most of all, the sound his bangles make when he dances. This year Papa has said no bangles, and Bhargav is sitting out. A gentle conversation with his Ba shows him a way back to the dance. Written by Riddhi Maniar Doda and illustrated by Shruti Hemani (Karadi Tales), it opens up a thoughtful talk about clothes, gender and joy, set against a colorful Gujarati Navratri night.
Activity: Make dandiya sticks from paper towel rolls wrapped in colored tape, then put on garba music and dance or Download this Dandiya decoration printable
7. Keshav's Kolam
Best for: ages 5 to 8 · Theme: kolam and community
Keshav's amma is famous on South Mada Street for her kolams. When she falls ill, Keshav tries to draw one himself, and one by one his neighbors stop by to add a few lines of rice flour. By morning, his porch holds a magnificent surprise. Shobha Viswanath's story and Leeza John's detailed illustrations (Karadi Tales) are full of Tamil Nadu street life, and an end note explains kolam traditions across India.
Activity: Draw a dot-grid kolam with sidewalk chalk at your front door, or use our kolam printable indoors. Invite a neighbor to add a line.
8. Kadooboo! + Karukku Norukku
Best for: ages 4 to 8 · Theme: festival snacks and silly fun
Navratri means visiting homes and munching snacks, so here are two giggly food books. In Shruthi Rao's Kadooboo! (illustrated by Darshika Varma), Kabir keeps repeating the name of a coconut-filled dumpling all the way home, and it gets hilariously mixed up along the way. It ends with a kadubu recipe. In Saritha Rao's Karukku Norukku (illustrated by Vibha Surya, Karadi Tales), murukku-loving Guru gets a whole packet to himself and plots how to eat it without sharing.
Activity: Cook a festival snack together, like kadubu, sundal or murukku, and pack a little bag to share when you go golu hopping.
Shop Kadoboo! · Shop Karukku Norukku
9. Dancing Devi
Best for: ages 4 to 7 · Theme: Bharatanatyam, practice and self-love
Devi is one of the best Bharatanatyam dancers at her school, so losing a competition stings. She practices her expressions and footwork again and again, but the mistakes keep coming, until her mom shares her own dance stumbles. Priya Parikh's story, illustrated by N. Dejeshwini, is a 2023 Benjamin Franklin Award silver winner. It is a perfect read for Vijayadashami, a traditional day to start learning music or dance.
Activity: Learn one simple Bharatanatyam step or mudra together. The author's website also offers a free printable activity kit.
Navratri activities and crafts for kids: a 9-night plan
Want to read one book a night? Here is an easy plan that pairs each book with a Navratri craft or activity.
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Day 10: Celebrating Dussehra with kids
After nine nights comes Dussehra, also called Vijayadashami, the "tenth day of victory." It celebrates Durga's win over Mahishasura and, in many parts of India, Lord Rama's victory over Ravana. In North India, families watch Ramlila plays and giant Ravana effigies go up in flames. In Bengal, Durga is bid farewell as her idols are immersed. In South India, families honor books, tools and instruments with Ayudha Puja and Saraswati Puja, and golu dolls are put away until next year.
Vijayadashami is also a traditional day to begin something new. Many children write their first letters in a plate of rice, or start music or dance lessons, which makes it a perfect night to revisit Dancing Devi.
Dussehra activities for kids:
Ramayana printable: Dussehra is the perfect day to tell the story of Rama, Sita, Hanuman and Ravana. Grab our Ramayana printable from the shop and let kids cut out and retell the story themselves.
End the day with your own Ravan Dahan! Cut out Ravana from the printable and stand him on a paper cup or craft stick. Then a grown-up lights him outdoors on a fire pit, grill or metal tray, with a bucket of water close by, while kids cheer from a safe distance as good wins over evil.
Want more Rama stories for the season? See our list of the best Ramayana books for kids, which is also perfect reading in the lead-up to Diwali.
Free Navratri printable
Download our free Navratri printable: Decorate your Dandiya, is there math hiding in your golu? and make an Alpona
Navratri FAQs for parents
How do you explain Navratri to kids? Keep it simple: Navratri is nine nights celebrating Goddess Durga, who is brave and strong and defeats the demon Mahishasura. Families pray, dance, set up dolls and share sweets, and on the tenth day, Dussehra, good wins over evil.
What is the difference between Navratri, Durga Puja and Dussehra? Navratri is the nine-night festival. Durga Puja is how Bengal and eastern India celebrate those same days. Dussehra, or Vijayadashami, is the tenth day that marks the victory.
What age are these Navratri books for? Most fit ages 3 to 8. For toddlers, start with My Little Book of Nava Durga and The Doll That Bommakka Made. For 6 to 8 year olds, try The Boy Who Wore Bangles and Keshav's Kolam.
Shop Navratri books at Toka Box
Find all nine picks, plus more festival favorites, in our Festivals and Celebrations collection.
Happy Navratri from all of us at Toka Box!