Indian American children's books and coloring ideas

The best Indian American children's books are about the things that fill a desi childhood: a grandparent arriving from India, a spice box, a mother's saris, roti fresh off the tava. Below are picture books sorted by age, each verified in a library catalog, with notes on which ones the South Asia Book Award or the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association recognized. Then come a few simple ways to make coloring pages about your own family.

How we picked

Two award lists did most of the work. The South Asia Book Award, a project of the South Asia National Outreach Consortium at UW-Madison, recognizes books that accurately portray South Asia or South Asians living in other parts of the world, chosen for literary quality, cultural authenticity and potential for classroom use. The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association gives its literature award to books created by Asian American, Asian Canadian and/or Pasifika authors and illustrators. We also skipped books already on our other guides: Bilal Cooks Daal is in heritage coloring books, and Binny's Diwali and Lights for Gita are in Diwali coloring pages.

For toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2 to 5)

The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Surishtha Sehgal. A twist on "The Wheels on the Bus" in which the wheels go round and round all over a city in India. You already know the tune, so this one gets sung, not read.

The Spice Box by Meera Sriram, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat. Because his grandmother is arriving from India, Rishi wants to cook curry with his dad using the family's special spice box, and then he drops it. It was a 2025 South Asia Book Award winner. Let your child smell the cumin and cardamom while you read.

Once Upon a Sari by Zenia Wadhwani, illustrated by Avani Dwivedi. A girl gets into her mother's saris, makes a glorious, colorful mess and discovers the memories attached to each one. A 2025 South Asia Book Award honor book. Afterwards, ask someone in the family which sari or outfit has a story.

Bindu's Bindis by Supriya Kelkar, illustrated by Parvati Pillai. Bindu loves her bindis in all their shapes, and they are a connection to her Nani who lives in India. When Nani visits, they enter a school talent show together. Ages 3 to 7.

For ages 4 to 8

Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji by F. Zia, illustrated by Ken Min. Aneel and his grandfather tell stories, use their imaginations and make roti. An APALA picture book honor. Make roti together the same afternoon, however lopsided.

Monsoon Afternoon by Kashmira Sheth. A boy and his grandfather find much they can do together on a rainy day during monsoon season in India. Also an APALA honor book. Good for kids whose grandparents still live there.

The Mithai Box Is Not Empty by Namrata Agarwal, illustrated by Parvati Pillai. Ria hosts a chai party to welcome her grandparents and struggles to resist the mithai box, and her grandparents have a story and a surprise for her. Highly commended by the South Asia Book Award in 2026.

Laxmi's Mooch by Shelly Anand. After a friend points out the hair on her lip, Laxmi is self-conscious until her East Indian parents help her accept and celebrate her appearance. Funny and kind, and useful the first time a classmate says something.

Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande. A boy in a village in India learns from his grandfather to paint with his fingers and make paints from marigolds. A gentle book about loss, and the best art tie-in on this list.

Ritu Weds Chandni by Ameya Narvankar. Ayesha is excited for her cousin's wedding, a celebration of two young women supported by their family and friends despite the prejudices of the community. A South Asia Book Award honorable mention, for families who want that conversation.

One more: Tan to Tamarind by Malathi Michelle Iyengar is a book of poems about the color brown and an APALA honor book. It pairs well with our guide to skin tone crayons.

Quick guide by age

Age	Start with	Why
2 to 3	The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk	A song they already know
3 to 5	The Spice Box, Once Upon a Sari, Bindu's Bindis	Short family stories with grandparents and color
5 to 8	Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji, The Mithai Box Is Not Empty, Laxmi's Mooch, Dadaji's Paintbrush	Longer stories, bigger feelings

Every book is in the Seattle Public Library catalog, so your library can probably get it. Use your family's words while you read: Nani, Nana, Dadi, Dada, Paati, Ajji, whatever your kids actually call them.

Coloring pages you can make tonight

• A spice box page. Draw a round tin with seven little bowls. Let your child color each one the color of a real spice, then label them in English and in Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Bengali or whatever your family speaks. Our bilingual coloring books guide has more word-book ideas.
• An outfit page. Draw a simple figure and let your child design the sari, lehenga, kurta or sherwani for the next family wedding.
• A grandparent page. Draw Dadi or Nana doing the thing they always do. Write their answer to "what did you play when you were little?" underneath.
• A real photo, traced. Trace a clear photo of your child onto paper against a window, or use one of the free tools in our guide to turning a photo into a coloring page.

Our own South Asian American storybooks

We are making several heritage coloring storybooks, including an Indian American story about a grandmother's spice box, an Indian American Diwali on a neighborhood street, a Pakistani American afternoon in Dadi's kitchen and a Bangladeshi American Pohela Boishakh. They are written and reviewed but not on sale yet. Colorkin can also turn your own family photos into a coloring storybook today, drafted with AI illustration tools and finished by a person.

More holiday and heritage guides are in our family and heritage hub.

Questions parents ask