Reading in two voices

Several of our books are printed twice over: the same story, side by side, in English and Hindi. Mr. Peekaboo Rat and एक होशियार चूहा. Ouchie Ouchie and ओई ओई ओई. What's for Lunch? and खाने में क्या है?

We did not do this to be tidy. We did it because of a particular scene we kept hearing about: a child reading the Hindi half aloud to a grandmother on a video call, and the English half to a parent in the room. One book, two voices, two generations, no translation required.

A bilingual book is not a language lesson. It is permission: to switch, to mix, to belong in both halves at once, the way most Indian children already live. The rhythm carries across. A joke that lands in one language tends to land in the other.

If your household runs on more than one tongue, these are for you. Read whichever side you like first. Then read the other, and watch which one your child reaches for.