Recommend Hindu stories please

[wathe]

We're doing a year of world religion.  Currently studying Hinduism.  Please give me your best recommendations for Hindu stories for a 10 and 11 year old- I would particularly like recommendations for retellings of the Ramayana.  Bonus for a great audiobook version!

We've already read and loved both Aru Shah novels.

Edited September 8, 2019 by wathe

[Sammish]

We're doing world religion this year, too! I'm going to have DS read Ramayana: Divine Loophole. I pre-read it this summer, and really enjoyed it (and loved the illustration style). 

[Farrar]

The NK Narayan Ramayana could be read at that age. There's also a good retelling that's done like an extended fantasy novel series - I forget the name and author, but I read a bit and they seemed good for the sort of advanced reader or teen who likes those sorts of fantasy novels.

Do the picture books too. The Demi one with the animal tales... Pah... oh, gosh, what are they called? They're like Hindu Aesop's fables. Those ones. And there are a couple of good Ramayana picture books and there's a good Gita picture book.

[Sammish]

12 hours ago, Farrar said:

Do the picture books too. The Demi one with the animal tales... Pah... oh, gosh, what are they called? They're like Hindu Aesop's fables. Those ones. And there are a couple of good Ramayana picture books and there's a good Gita picture book.

I went looking for this (because I thought it might be useful for DS). Are you by chance thinking of the Buddhist Jataka tales? Because I found this, but couldn't find a Hindu version. (Which, btw, thank you, I'm totally going to use when we study Buddhism!)

 

[Farrar]

1 hour ago, Sammish said:

I went looking for this (because I thought it might be useful for DS). Are you by chance thinking of the Buddhist Jataka tales? Because I found this, but couldn't find a Hindu version. (Which, btw, thank you, I'm totally going to use when we study Buddhism!)

 

Huh. The things I was thinking of are Panchatantra stories which are definitely Hindu, or at least, are just general Indian fables... but you're right, there doesn't seem to be a Demi picture book of them. I must be conflating it with the Jataka tales... but then I could have sworn we read a picture book of these. About a rabbit.

[Guest]

I don't know what they are called, but when DD was 5-6, one of DH's co-workers loaned us a set of beautiful Hindu stories with the text in both Hindustani and English. She loved them, and they were great. 

[Bocky]

Second vote for Ramayana: Divine Loophole recommended by @Sammish. Great for a 10 yr old and good introduction to Hinduism. The fantasy series mentioned by @Farrar might be Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Palace of Illusions. My dd15 read this for 9th grade world literature, and also the graphic novel Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni. Great reads for older students, but I wouldn't recommend them for 10-11 yrs. The graphic novel doesn't have anything younger kids couldn't read, but Rama is presented in a rather less heroic light than usual.

[Violet Crown]

Golden Press published a lovely book called Tales of India (stories from the Mabharata) that's still available used.

[mathnerd]

On 9/9/2019 at 6:06 PM, Farrar said:

The NK Narayan Ramayana could be read at that age. There's also a good retelling that's done like an extended fantasy novel series - I forget the name and author, but I read a bit and they seemed good for the sort of advanced reader or teen who likes those sorts of fantasy novels.

Do the picture books too. The Demi one with the animal tales... Pah... oh, gosh, what are they called? They're like Hindu Aesop's fables. Those ones. And there are a couple of good Ramayana picture books and there's a good Gita picture book.

this one?

https://www.amarchitrakatha.com/us/amar-chitra-katha/sort-by/price/sort-direction/desc?___from_store=0&___store=usa