General Textbooks
Elementary
Bailey, Donna and Malcolm Rodgers. India: Where We Live. Austin, Tex.: Steck-Vaughn, 1990.
ISBN 0-8114-2548-7. L.C. DS421.B19.
Illustrated story of a girl named Sita who describes her life in present-day Rajasthan.
Cumming, David. India. New York: Bookwright Press, 1989. ISBN 0-531-18271-1. L.C. DS407.C79.
Introduction to India, highlighting features that give it its particular character. Describes what it is like to live there today. Glossary. Bibliography.
Kalman, Bobbie. India, the Culture. The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing Co., 1990. ISBN 0-86505-212-3. L.C. DS421.K34.
Discusses religion, the importance of the Ganges River, art, crafts, clothing, festivals, performing arts, and food. Glossary.
Kalman, Bobbie. India, the Land. The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing Co., 1990. ISBN 0-86505-210-7. L.C. DS407.K35.
Describes geography, climate, rivers, people, village life, city life, farming and industry, transportation, and wildlife. Glossary.
Kalman, Bobbie. India, the People. The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing Co., 1990. ISBN 0-86505-211-5. L.C. HN683.5.K35.
Discusses history up to modern times, people, family life, village life, city life, languages and education, occupations, and problems. Glossary.
Middle School
Allen, Carole. India: Past, Present and Future. Carthage, Ill.: Good Apple, 1993. ISBN 0-86653-739-2. Grades 48.
This social studies activity book guides students through an exploration of Indiaıs social and political past, present, and future. Topics investigated include the Indian economy, architecture, and geography.
Isenberg, Irwin. The Indian Subcontinent. 4th ed. Scholastic World Cultures Series. New York: Scholastic, 1986. ISBN 0-590-34601-6.
Covers India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Discusses the variations among these countries in village life, city life, the caste system, and religions. Each chapter is followed by review and discussion questions. Pronunciation guide. Accompanied by teaching guide that identifies and defines concepts and attitudes to be developed. Includes questions, discussion topics, and activities.
McNair, Sylvia. India. Enchantment of the World Series. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1990. ISBN 0-516-02719-0. L.C. DS407.M39.
Discusses Indiaıs geography, history up to independence, and people and culture.
Nugent, Nicholas. India. World in View Series. Austin, Tex.: Steck-Vaughn, 1991. ISBN 0-8114-2441-3. L.C. DS407.N84.
Survey of the history, government, economy, natural resources, people, cultures, and future prospects of India.
High School
The Asia Society. India: A Teacherıs Guide. Focus on Asian Studies. New York: The Asia Society, 1985. L.C. DS407.A7.
Teacherıs guide to India. Includes classroom activities and student readings on caste, Hinduism, values, and marriage.
Clark, James I. India Including Pakistan and Bangladesh. Peoples & Cultures Series. Evanston, Ill.: McDougall & Littell, 1989. ISBN 0-8123-5779-5. L.C. DS437.K8. Accompanied by teacherıs manual (ISBN 0-8123-5780-9) by Joan Curtis.
Covers ancient cities; Hindu gods; empire builders and invaders; India and the West; independence and partition; glimpses of Indian culture through its literature; and city and village life. Student guide directs attention to important concepts in each chapter. Teacherıs manual provides summaries of main points, suggestions for discussions and activities, and map exercises. Includes tests and a list of resource materials, including audiovisual aids.
Jensen, Anne Ferguson. India: Its Culture and People. New York: Longman, 1991. ISBN 0-8013-0343-5. L.C. DS423.J43.
Covers geography, climate, religions, and history up to independence. Glossary.
Wolpert, Stanley. India. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1991. ISBN 0-520-07783-0. L.C. DS407.W56.
Written by a UCLA historian of India. Concrete and detailed overview. Includes bibliographic references on environment, history, religion and philosophy, society, arts and sciences, and politics and foreign policy. Bibliography.
Art
K12
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Color MeGanesha, the Elephant-Headed God. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 1986.
The drawings in this coloring book are based on details from objects in the Asian Art Museum.
Bellerophon Books. A Coloring Book of Ancient India. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Bellerophon Books, 1989. ISBN 0-88388-135-7.
Many of the pictures in this coloring book are from ancient stone carvings, which were originally painted with beautiful colors. Some text explanations of the pictures.
J. Paul Getty Trust. Arts in India. Glenview, Ill.: Crystal Productions, 1994. ISBN 0-89236-315-0.
Five posters of Indian art objects; on the reverse is text to place each object in cultural context. Includes timeline, medium, discussion questions, and activities. Accompanied by a teacherıs guide.
High School
Blurton, T. Richard. Hindu Art. London: The British Museum Press for the Trustees of the British Museum, 1992. ISBN 0-7141-1442-1.
This full-color textbook provides an excellent overview of Hindu art. The survey provides an introduction to the Hindu temple architecture, sculpture, and painting of the Indian subcontinent over more than two thousand years.
Huntington, Susan L. and John C. Huntington. Art of Ancient India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain. New York: Weatherhill, 1985. ISBN 0-8348-0183-3. L.C. N7301.H86.
An important reference tool for the serious student of Indian art, this text provides an in-depth look at the different periods of Hindu art beginning with pre-history.
Literature
Middle School
Godden, Rumer and Jon Godden. Indian Dust. London: MacMillan, 1989. ISBN 0-333-51871-3.
Stories set in the rice fields of Bengal, the streets of Calcutta, and the mountains of Kashmir explore themes of courage, love and faith, the coming of manhood, the worship of different gods, and the cultural clash between East and West.
Rana, Indi. The Roller Birds of Rampur. New York: Henry Holt, 1993. ISBN 0-8050-2670-3. L.C. PZ7.R149Ro. Grades 712.
Dropped by her English boyfriend because of his familyıs racism and faced with the arranged marriage of her Indian friend, an Indian teenager leaves England to return to India to find her identity.
High School
Markandaya, Kamala. Nectar in a Sieve. New York: Signet, 1982. ISBN 0-451-16836-4. L.C. P27.M3394.Ne3.
Story of a woman in India who never lost her faith in life or her love for her husband and childrendespite her endless battle against relentless nature, changing times, and dire poverty.
Vimal, Ganga P. The Talisman: Stories and Poems in Hindi and English. London: Forest Books, 1990 (distributed in the U.S. by Dufour Editions, Chester Springs, Pa.). ISBN 0-948259-57-4.
Collection of Indian contemporary literature, short stories, and poems published in Hindi and English.
Hindu Stories
Elementary
Beach, Milo C. The Adventures of Rama. Washington, D.C.: Freer Gallery of Art, 1983. ISBN 0-934686-51-3. L.C. 83-1473.
Astonishing creatures and colorful characters appear in this shortened version of the tales of Rama. Lavishly illustrated with paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art.
Hull, Robert. Indian Stories Retold by Robert Hull. New York: Thomson Learning, 1994. ISBN 1-56847-189-0. L.C. PZ8.1.H883In.
Collection of eight traditional tales from India, including ³Shiva Goes Fishing² and ³How Ganga Came Down to Earth.² Glossary. Bibliography.
Shepard, Aaron. Savitri: A Tale of Ancient India. Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman & Co., 1992. ISBN 0-8075-7251-9. L.C. BL1138.4.S28S44. Grades 36.
Retelling of a classic tale of courage, love, wit, and will from Indiaıs national epic, the Mahabharata. Full-page illustrations reflect visual elements of Indian art.
Middle School
Chatterjee, Debjani. The Elephant-Headed God and Other Hindu Tales. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-19-598112-9. L.C. BL1111.2C43.
Collection of twelve traditional tales of ancient India. Stories of gods and goddesses, kings and queens, heroes and beggars, angelic beings and demons contain much of the enduring wisdom of India.
Dalal-Clayton, Diksha. The Adventures of Young Krishna, the Blue God of India. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-19-508113-7. L.C. BL1220.D34.
Collection of the adventures of the Hindu god Krishna beginning with the story of his birth and his escape as a baby from his cruel uncle. These tales illustrate the eternal battle between good and evil. Glossary. List of gods and goddesses.
Rao, Shanta Rameshwar. The Childrenıs Mahabharata. Hyderabad: Orient Longmans Ltd.,1989. ISBN 0-86131-266-X. L.C. BL1138.22.R37.
Indian national epic tells the story of the warrior princes, called the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who lived in India centuries ago. It tells of their rivalries and their adventures and of the great war they fought on the field of Kurukshetra.
High School
Ions, Veronica. Indian Mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1983. ISBN 0-911745-55-6. L.C.BL2003.I6.
Discusses Indian religion and history, early deities, and mythologies of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Bibliography.
Hinduism
Elementary
Bennett, Olivia. Holi, Hindu Festival of Spring. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1987. ISBN 0-241-11986-3. L.C. BL1239.82.H65.
With text and pictures tells how English children experience the Hindu festival of Holi.
Mitchell, Pratima. Dance of Shiva, an Introduction to Bharata Natyam. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1989. ISBN 0-241-12550-2.
Text and photographs of girls learning traditional Indian ³Dance of Shiva.²
Solomon, Joan. Sweet-Tooth Sunil. The Way We Live Series. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1984. ISBN 0-241-11201-X.
Tells the story of Divali, the Hindu Festival of Light, through the eyes of Sunil.
Middle School
Kadodwala, Dilip. Hinduism. World Religions Series. New York: Thomson Learning, 1995. ISBN 1-568-47-377-X. L.C. BL1203.K33. Grades 57.
Introduction to important beliefs and rituals. Examples and case studies from a variety of perspectives emphasizing Hinduismıs vitality in todayıs culture all over the world. Glossary.
Wangu, Madhu Bazaz. Hinduism. World Religion Series. New York: Facts on File, 1991. ISBN 0-8160-2447-2. L.C. BL1203.W35.
Discusses the modern Hindu world, the growth of Hinduism, the gods and devotionalism, political changes and their influence on Hinduism, the Hindu temple, icons and worship, and modern Hinduism. Glossary. Bibliography.
High School
Eck, Diana L. Darsan; Seeing the Divine Image in India. 2d rev. ed. Chambersburg, Pa.: Anima Publications, 1985. ISBN 0-89012-042-0. L.C. BL1205.E25.
Darsan, or darshan, is a Sanskrit word meaning ³seeing.² Guide to seeing the divine in Indian sculpture, temples, symbols, times, and places.
