Diwali
The CBC Holidays Series explores stories that relate to specific holidays so that readers of all ages can celebrate in the best way… with a good book!
Today is Diwali (Sanskrit Deepavali meaning “row of lights.”)! This religious holiday is also known as the Festival of Lights and its name comes from the clay lamps that are lit. In India, this celebration lasts for five days, and lights are lit everywhere to promote peace and tranquility. Whether or not you have participated in this celebration, we hope that you enjoy and appreciate these wonderful books on the magical Festival of Lights of Diwali.
Archie Celebrates Diwali, by Mitali Banerjee Ruths; illus. Parwinder Singh (Charlesbridge) — Fiction, Picture Book, Religion, Background / Culture, Diversity, ages 4-6.
Baby’s First Diwali, by DK (DK) — Nonfiction, Board Book, Religion, Background / Culture, Series, ages 0-3.
Binny’s Diwali, by Thrity Umrigar; illus. Nidhi Chanani (Scholastic Press) — Fiction, Picture Book, Religion, Background / Culture, ages 4-6.
Diwali, by Hannah Eliot; illus. Archana Sreenivasan (Simon & Schuster / Little Simon) — Fiction, Board Book, Religion, Background / Culture, Series, ages 0-3.
Diwali in My New Home, by Shachi Kaushik; illus. Aishwarya Tandon (Beaming Books) — Fiction, Picture Book, Religion, Background / Culture, Diversity, ages 4-6.
Diwali Lights, by Rina Singh (Orca Book Publishers) — Fiction, Picture Book, Religion, Background / Culture, Concepts, ages 0-3.
Diwali: Festival of Lights, by Rina Singh (Orca Book Publishers) — Nonfiction, Prose, Religion, Background / Culture, Series, ages 7-12.
Happy Diwali!, by Sanyukta Mathur and Courtney Pippin-Mathur; illus. Courtney Pippin-Mathur (Macmillan / Henry Holt and Co. BYR) — Fiction, Picture Board, Religion, Background / Culture, Cooking / Food, ages 4-6.
Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Diwali: With Sweets, Lights, and Fireworks, by Deborah Heiligman (National Geographic Kids) — Nonfiction, Picture Book, Religion, Background / Culture, Series, ages 7-12.
It’s Diwali!, by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal; illus. Archana Sreenivasan (Simon & Schuster / Beach Lane Books) — Fiction, Picture Board, Religion, Background / Culture, ages 0-3.
It’s Diwali!, by Richard Sebra (Lerner Classroom) — Nonfiction, Picture Book, Religion, Background / Culture, Series, ages 4-6.
My Diwali Light, by Raakhee Mirchandani; illus. Supriya Kelkar (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) — Fiction, Picture Book, Religion, Background / Culture, Diversity, ages 4-6.
Peppa Pig: Happy Diwali!, adapted by Scholastic; illus. EOne (Scholastic Inc.) — Fiction, Picture Book, Religion, Animals, ages 4-6.
Celebrate Diwali by reading a book!
List compiled by CBC’s resident holiday expert, Sommer Wissner. Check out other CBC Holiday book lists on our blog.
