Some of the must read bedtime stories by Indian authors include The Malgudi Days, My Mother’s Sari, Padma Goes To Space, Moin and The Monster, Gajapati Kulapati, Granny’s Sari, Sunu-Sunu Snail – Storm in the Garden, Panchathantra, The Adventures of Toto, Little Indians and The Conch Bearer
Story time is the perfect way to build your relationship with your child. It helps children develop their imagination, get an understanding of different situations and also figure out how to react and emote in different situations. Bedtime is the best time for stories and if you consistently make it a routine, it will add to your child’s development.
11 Must Read Bedtime Stories by Indian Authors
In India, we have many stories and tales written by Indian authors that help children understand the various cultures and epics of this great country. Let’s take a look at the 11 must read bedtime stories by Indian authors that you should make an effort to read to your little one every night.
1. The Malgudi Days
This is a collection of stories written by R. K. Narayan which describes the everyday life and situations of normal Indian people. Malgudi Days is a novel that revolves around the things happening in a small fictional and lively village called Malgudi, situated on the banks of the mighty river Sarayu. R. K Narayan uses the stories to portray the lives of an astrologer, a snake-charmer, a postman, a vendor of pies and chappatis and all kinds of everyday people. The illustrations are in full color and endearing detail. This is an excellent collection for kids to understand the daily normal lives of various people in the country.
Source: Amazon
2. My Mother’s Sari
My Mother’s Sari is a simple but endearing story penned by Sandhya Rao. The story gives an insight into how a small child chooses to play with a sari in different ways. It shows us the capacity of imagination harbouring inside a child’s mind. The sari is used to explore, dream and play innocent games. Playful and fun, this book will surely capture the imagination of toddlers and preschoolers and is a good read for bedtimes.
Source: Amazon.com
3. Padma Goes to Space
This is an adventurous and imaginative story written by Swetha Prakash. It’s about a little girl called Padma, who loves books but also imagines spending time with the characters of her books. With her wild imagination, Padma is transported into space in a time machine where she enjoys eating the Star-rock Salad from Galaxy Stellar 5689 and eating ice cream from volcanoes erupt fruit juices that freeze immediately.
Source: The Alternative
4. Moin and the Monster
Written by Anushka Ravishankar, Moin and the Monster is a fun story which will make you laugh out loud. It is a story about a small boy called Moin and a monster who choose to stay with him and do fun things. This is one book kids will love because the situations and things that Moin and the monster do are extremely hilarious and funny. You can be certain your child will ask you to read this book every bedtime!
Source: Amazon
5. Gajapati Kulapati
Gajapati Kulapati written by Ashok Rajagopalan. This is a story about Gajapati, a big elephant who caught a cold in his big, long nose (trunk). With interesting sounds and words, this story puts the zing back into storytelling. It makes a great bedtime tale for smaller kids.
Source: Flipkart
6. Granny’s Sari
Granny’s sari written by Asha Nehemiah talks about how a granny’s favorite sari is blown away by the wind. When Granny and Anu go searching for it, they meet several people who have used the sari to their own advantage. This is an interesting story for kids to understand the characters of the people portrayed in the story.
Source: Long Long Ago
7. Sunu-Sunu Snail – Storm in the Garden
In this story, Sandhya Rao narrates a snail’s eye view of the storm in his world, which is the garden. It is beautifully illustrated with delightful pictures. This is one bedtime story that your kids will love to hear.
Source: Amazon
8. Panchathantra
Written by Pandit Vishnu Sharma, Panchatantra is a collection of tales, poetry and animal fables which can help in building your kids’ character and imagination. Most parents already know Panchathantra, as most of us have read these tales and learnt a valuable lesson from them. Now, it is time for you to help your kids learn through interesting and fun stories.
Source: King Planet
9. The Adventures of Toto
Ride with Toto is an interesting story narrated by Ruta Vyas. This is where the auto rickshaw, Toto, and his driver, Pattu, go about solving problems and helping people while having loads of fun together.
Source: Flipkart
10. Little Indians
The story is penned by PikaNani and takes you on a journey around India. Told in a highly engrossing and captivating manner, children learn folktales and fascinating facts about India while traversing on a double-decker ride across 15 states in India.
Source: Flipkart
11. The Conch Bearer
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has narrated a beautiful story of a boy in the Conch Bearer. In a dingy shack in the less-than-desirable Indian neighbourhood, which he calls home, the 12-year-old Anand is entrusted with a conch shell that possesses mystical powers. It is a great bedtime story for kids above 7 years of age.
Source: Chitra Divakaruni
There is no doubt children love stories. Go ahead and read them these amazing stories written by Indian authors. Not only will they have sweet dreams, but also learn a few things along the way.
