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Use our Book Finder tool to create your own customized list of fiction and nonfiction books. Search through more than 5,000 books on Reading Rockets — by author, illustrator, age, reading level, genre, format, and topic.
Festival of Colors
Learn all about Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, in this vibrant picture book. Spring is here, and it’s almost time for Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors. Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo are busy gathering flowers to make into colorful powders to toss during the festival. And when at last the big day comes, they gather with their friends, family, and neighbors for a vibrant celebration of fresh starts, friendship, forgiveness, and, of course, fun!
Tales Told in Tents: Stories from Central Asia
Where do you find needles? All over the world, of course! Readers will recognize many things in these stories from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian countries where stories, riddles, and more are told at mealtimes to feed the soul as well as the body. As with many folktales, readers recognize what they share with people in another part of the world while celebrating what makes them unique.
Nadia’s Hands
Nadia is thrilled to be the flower girl at her aunt's wedding, yet continues to worries her classmates will respond on Monday to the temporary henna tattoos (mehndi). The intricate hand decorations that wear off slowly are a tradition of the family's Pakistani background. Respect for tradition and the need to conform are at odds, but then resolved in this well-illustrated story.
The Snow Leopard: The True Story of an Amazing Rescue
The rescue of a baby snow leopard named Leo found on a mountain in northern Pakistan is chronicled in handsome, well-captioned photographs and detailed text. The collaboration between Pakistan and the United States results in a new home for Leo and the possibility of new ways to help endangered animals.
The Gift of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story
The Gift of the Crocodile, a tale from the Spice Islands in Indonesia, offers a colorful and dramatic twist on the universally adored Cinderella story.
Lily's Garden of India
Lily's mother has travelled all over he world, and has planted a magical garden for her daughter, full of exotic and beautiful flowers. In her first adventure, Lily visits the Indian garden where the plants and flowers take turns to tell stories of their homeland.
The Bird Who Was an Elephant
This cheerful picture book presents a day in the life of a bird who was an elephant long ago and has just returned to its small Hindu village in India.
Monsoon
Through the observations of one young girl, the scents and sounds, the dazzling colors, and the breathless anticipation of a parched cityscape are vividly evoked during the final days before the welcome arrival of a monsoon in Northern India.
Chachaji's Cup
Product Description: Neel loves listening to Chachaji's stories over steaming cups of tea. Chachaji's tales of great Hindu gods and demons, and of his adventures in the Indian Army, leave Neel openmouthed. But it is the tale of his great-uncle's favorite teacup that teaches Neel the most, for Chachaji's cup holds far more than sweet, spicy masala chai. It holds the story of a family and a country split in two during the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. When the precious cup and Chachaji's health both prove to be more fragile than they look, Neel knows what he must do.
Bringing Asha Home
It's Rakhi Day, a Hindu celebration special to brothers and sisters, and Arun wishes he had a little sister. Soon his wish comes true when he finds out that his parents will be adopting Asha, a little girl from India. Waiting for Asha is hard, though, and Arun is impatient. Arun's patience finally pays off when Asha arrives — just in time to celebrate another Rakhi Day. Beautiful pastel illustrations bring Arun and this uplifting story to life.
