Independence Day: Books for Your Children to Learn About India

This year marks the 75^th Independence Day celebration for our country! Wouldn’t it be interesting to tell your kids about India’s history, freedom struggles and post-independence developments? Well, we have curated a list of books your children would love to read or want you to read them aloud on this Independence Day.

These books, a compilation of fiction and non-fiction genre, will take your children on a journey to India’s past in a fun and easy manner. You can buy these books online on Amazon, Flipkart or other e-commerce stores. You can even visit book libraries/book clubs in Pune and find out a good pick for your children.

• My Gandhi Story

Author: Nina Sabnani and Ankit Chadha

Want a great read for early readers? This book is just perfect! It tells the story of Mahatma Gandhi through appealing visuals, making it a page-turner for the little ones.

• Let’s Go Time Travelling Life in India Through the Ages

Author: Subhadra Sen Gupta

From Harappan civilization and King Asoka to Mauryan and Mughal empires to British rule to the modern era, this book is like a time-travelling machine in India’s different periods. It narrates all trivia and facts in a quirky manner without an overload of information. Of course, there are some eye-catching illustrations and cartoons also!

• We, the Children of India

Author: Leila Seth

This book explains the concepts of democracy, preamble, constitution and sovereignty in a lucid language. The author has penned this book keeping her grandchildren in mind. So, you can rest assured about its child-friendliness.

• Ahimsa

Author: Supriya Kelkar

A 10-year-old girl Anjali and her friend Irfaan are the fictional protagonists in this book. The story is set in the backdrop of the pre-dependence era. It recounts various events from that period through the eyes of these two characters.

• Puffin Lives

This is a series of books written by different authors and published by Puffin publishers. It is based on the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rani Lakshmibai, B.R. Ambedkar, Indira Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Guru Nanak, Swami Vivekananda, Mother Teresa, Chanakya, Sunita Williams and many other prominent personalities.

• A Beautiful Lie

Author: Irfan Master

A thought-provoking and sensitive read for young adults, this book is the bittersweet story of Bilal, his friends and his dying father at the time of partition. It narrates the struggles of people during the partition torn between freedom, love and relationships.

• Amazing India: A State by State Guide

Author: Anita Vachcharajani

If you want your children to learn about unity in diversity in India, there couldn’t be a better book. It talks about the culture and history of different states and union territories of India. It has some stunning illustrations to capture the interest of little readers.

• The Teenage Diary Series

This is a collection of five books written by women authors and published by Talking Club. It highlights the life of fierce female warriors – Rani Lakshmibai, Razia Sultan, Jodh Bai, Nur Jahan and Jahanara.

Are there any books you would like to recommend to other parents in this list?