Folktales from India: Timeless Tales for Kids

When a story survives for centuries, you know it's a good one. That's why a folktale will always be an engaging choice for read aloud time. These folktales from India will transport kids to another time and place, and teach them about Indian folklore.

Timeless Indian and Bengali folktales draw from source materials rooted in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Some of the archetypes, like tricksters, hungry beasts and wise rulers can be found in folktales across many cultures. Whichever picture book you read, you know you're reading a well-crafted and meaningful story!

Don't miss: 50 folktales for kids from around the world

Note: this book list contains Amazon and Bookshop affiliate links that may earn commission. Purchases made through Bookshop also support independent book sellers. You can view all our folktale recommendations at Bookshop here.

Once a Mouse... by Marcia Brown

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Marcia Brown's Cinderella was one of my favorite books as a kid and almost every kid has listened rapturously to her retelling of Stone Soup. Her third Caldecott-winning book, Once a Mouse… is based on an Indian fable. A hermit with magical powers saves a mouse by turning him into different animals, but when he becomes a prideful tiger, he must learn a lesson in humility. One thing I like about these types of fables is that the moral lesson is nestled in a layered tale. Morals may work their way into little minds, but parents don't have the bore of reading a groan-inducing didactic story. Ages 4 and up.

Under the Great Plum Tree by Sufiya Ahmed, illustrated by Reza Dalvand

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This is a reimagining of an Indian folktale from the Panchatantra. Miss Bandari, the kind monkey with a big, golden heart, throws a plum to the hungry crocodile, Mr. Magarmach. The two strike up a friendship but when Miss Bandari senses a betrayal and the two must figure out how to renew their relationship. Great fun and reads like a wonderfully original folktale. Ages 4 and up.

Grandma and the Great Gourd by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, illustrated by Susy Pilgrim Waters

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When Grandma sets out to visit her daughter she must travel through the jungle. On the way, many wild animals threaten to eat her, but she puts them off by explaining that after she has feasted at her daughter's table, she will be plumper on the journey home. Her hide-in-a-gourd strategy on the way home fools everyone but the fox, but her faithful dogs save the day. A delightful, timeless Bengali folktale. Ages 4 and up.

MORE: Children's Books featuring Indian and South-Asian characters

The Very Hungry Lion by Gita Wolf, illustrated by Indrapramit Roy

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The illustrations of this book are made from silk-screened images on rice and cotton paper. A note in the back explains the illustrations were adapted from the Warli tradition of folk painting in western India. A hungry lion decides he is too lazy to hunt and goes to get a goat from the village market. Along the way he meets a sparrow who tricks the lion into performing all sorts of tasks after which the lion determines it would have been much less work just to go hunting in the first place! Ages 4 and up.

The Ghost Catcher by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, illustrated by Kristen Balouch

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In this retelling of a Bengali folktale, a barber who is too kind to accept payment from his struggling friends sets out to cut the hair of strangers. On the way he meets a ghost who threatens to eat him. The barber tricks him into providing for his family so that he can continue to provide his services free to those in need. Ages 4 and up.

Monkey: A Trickster Tale from India by Gerald McDermott

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A monkey wants some fruit growing on an island. The only way for him to get it is to trick a crocodile into taking him to the island without eating him. But can he trick him twice? Trickster tales are always a big hit with kids. Ages 4 and up.

The Monkey and the Crocodile: A Jataka Tale from India by Paul Galdone

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This is another version of the monkey and crocodile trickster tale. A crocodile plots to have a delicious monkey lunch, but is repeatedly foiled by the clever simian. Ages 4 and up.

Ganesha's Sweet Tooth (series) by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes

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The author clarifies that this story is an adaptation, rather than a retelling, of how Ganesha came to transcribe the Mahabharata with his tusk. He explains that some of the events do not appear in traditional Hindu mythology. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful book and my kids loved the story of a kid who was "like any other kid… except that he had an elephant head" and is addicted to sweets. It also reinforced my rule of no chewing hard candy! Pixar animator Sanjay Patel's illustrations are irresistible. Older children will enjoy Patel's books, Ramayana: Divine Loophole and The Little Book of Hindu Deities. Ages 5 and up.

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

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This is an Indian fable (unfortunately my paperback version did not include any information about the source or history of the story) about the importance of seeing things as a whole. Over the course of a week, seven blind mice try to identify the "strange something" that they run into. Unable to guess the animal from single parts, when the final mouse runs across the elephant's back, they are able to figure it out. Spare but striking cut-paper collage illustrations will appeal to kids. Ages 4 and up.

One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi

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Mathematics and Morals together! Any story that revolves around math is a big hit with my older son and any story that teaches the importance of kindness is a bit hit with me. A selfish raja keeps all the rice to himself during a time of famine, despite his promise to share with his people. However, he offers a young girl the choice of either 30 days worth of rice or the option of doubling the amount of rice each day starting with only one grain. The incorporation of factorials reminded me of the book Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar, but the folktale framework makes the concept more accessible. The Rajah's Rice is a similar book. Ages 5 and up.

It Is a Tree by Susan Batori

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This funny and cleverly written easy reader book is based on the same Indian parable, “The Blind Men and the Elephant,” as Ed Young's Seven Blind Mice. Several animals play a blindfolded guessing party game in which they have to guess the object they encounter, which turns out to be the elephant. Ages 3 and up.

The Elephant's Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India by Marcia Williams

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You may be familiar with Williams' comic book style of storytelling (we recommended her version of Robin Hood, written in the same style). She uses the same technique to retell eight clever stories of wisdom, friendship and tricksters from the Hitopadesha, the Jatakas, and the Panchatantra. Ages 7 and up.

Manu’s Ark: India’s Tale of the Great Flood by Emma V. Moore

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Most western children will be familiar with the story of Noah's Ark and it can be an interesting exercise to compare it with India's tale about a Great Flood. The good and compassionate King Manu prays every day to the Hindu god, Vishnu, asking him to protect the world and offering him a handful of water. Vishnu appears to Manu as fish, and grows larger every day until he is too big to be contained. Vishnu, pleased with Manu's kindness, warns of an impending flood, telling Manu to build an ark. Ages 5 and up.

The Littlest Giant: the Story of Vamana by Joshua M. Greene, illustrated by Emma V. Moore

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Bali is a greedy and power-hungry king, but not irredeemable. The god Vashtu appears to Bali as a small child with a request. He asks for land as large as his "three steps." As soon as Bali grants the request, Vashtu grows into a giant. His first two steps take back the land and create the Ganges River, but when there is no land left for the third step, Bali offers him his own head. In return, Vashtu rewards him. Ages 5 and up.

The Monkey King by Shobha Viswanath, illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy

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This is an interesting contrast to the monkey and crocodile trickster tale. Korung, the monkey who is tasked with preventing mangoes from falling into the river, allows one to float down river. When the king of Benares finds the mango he leads a hunt to find the mango tree and attacks the monkeys. The monkey king's bravery and dedication to his subjects earns him the respect of the king of Benares and all ends well. Ages 5 and up.