Updated
Books in English for kids with Bengali roots, from West Bengal and Bangladesh. The first half is newer books with Bengali kids. The second half is the classics Bengali parents grew up on, in translation.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon below are affiliate links.
-
Celebrate Durga Puja With Me!
Shoumi Sen
A child shows what Durga Puja means to them. A picture book for young kids, part of a series on festivals.
-
Rickshaw Girl
Mitali Perkins
Naimah, in a village in Bangladesh, paints rickshaws better than anyone and wants to earn money for her family. A short chapter book.
-
Tiger Boy
Mitali Perkins
Neel, on an island in the Sundarbans, searches for a tiger cub that escaped from the reserve before a greedy man finds it.
-
The Gauntlet
Karuna Riazi
Farah and her friends get pulled into a board game and have to win to rescue her little brother. Middle grade fantasy.
-
The Serpent's Secret
Sayantani DasGupta
On her twelfth birthday, Kiran from New Jersey finds out she's a princess from the Bengali folktales her parents told her. First in the Kiranmala series.
-
Tales From Thakurmar Jhuli
Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar
Twelve stories from the 1907 collection of Bengali folktales, translated into English. Demons, princes and talking birds.
-
Wordygurdyboom!
Sukumar Ray
Sukumar Ray's nonsense verse, translated into English. The Bengali Edward Lear.
-
The Complete Adventures of Feluda
Satyajit Ray
All of Satyajit Ray's detective stories about Feluda in Calcutta, told by his teenage cousin Topshe. For ages 10 and up.