6 Books to Celebrate Diwali

We have, in our community, a large population of Indian families. Many of which live permanently here in the U.S. while others come to work for a few years and then go back to India. Our library has hosted Diwali programming for a number of years now and it’s a huge event for our community. Today, on the first day of the festival, I wanted to share 6 Books to Celebrate Diwali!

We offer a Diwali storytime for our youngest patrons, a program for elementary school students, and families from around the community set up tables to share their own traditions as they celebrate Diwali. We also have Indian dancers come in and perform for us as well.

As part of the library, I love being able to share cultures and traditions from around the world for people to find community as well as learn about the different ways people celebrate around the world. The families that come in and set-up tables are so gracious in sharing their traditions. Many women will offer mehendi (or henna) for people, one mother shared how to correctly wrap a sari, there is always wonderful food to try and just a wonderful sense of community.

If you’re unfamiliar with Diwali, it’s the five-day Hindu Festival of Lights celebrated across India. Families light beautiful diya lamps to symbolize the victory of light over darkness. Obviously, this is the very basic definition and it’s important to know that the date for Diwali changes based on the lunar calendar.

To learn more about Diwali, check out these board books and picture books. And click on over to National Geographic Kids for more information. They explain the holiday and how people around the world celebrate! Happy Diwali!

6 Books to Celebrate Diwali

• Baby’s First Diwali by DK Publishing
• The Diwali Gift by Shweta Chopra and Shuchi Mehta
• Diwali: Festival of Lights by Rina Singh
• Diwali Lights by Rina Singh
• Let’s Celebrate Diwali by Anjali Joshi
• Shubh Diwali! by Chitra Soundar