Hindi board books for toddlers: a guide by age
Big Beetle Books, an independent picture book imprint from Bengaluru, publishes three Hindi board books, all for ages 0 to 3 and all following a toddler called Laali: Ooi Ooi Ooi, about small everyday hurts; Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha, a hide-and-seek book; and Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari, about getting a car ready for a ride.
That is the shelf. Now the awkward question underneath it.
Why board books, and not Hindi lessons?
Every family that wants to keep Hindi going at home eventually has the same evening.
Somebody suggests a plan. Worksheets, fifteen minutes after dinner, a chart on the fridge, an app with a cheerful owl.
The obvious suspect is effort: if the child is not picking up Hindi, the answer must be more Hindi, more formally, more often.
No. The plan is rarely defeated by the child. It is defeated by a Tuesday.
What survives a Tuesday is the five minutes: the short, unskippable slot you already have, which is the one between pyjamas and lights out. Nothing new gets added to the day. The only question is which book is in your hand when you get there, and a Hindi board book with a noise in it will be read in that slot forty times without anyone calling it practice.
Hindi at home is not a subject. It is a bedtime.
Which is why these three are built out of sound rather than vocabulary: a word to shout, a mouse to find, a tyre that goes papak papak.
Ooi Ooi Ooi: small hurts, one big word
Laali bumps her head, scrapes her elbow and burns her finger. Each time she says "Ooi Ooi Ooi", finds comfort, and gets on with her day.
The refrain arrives in the same place every time, so a very young listener takes it over from you. The English edition is Ouchie Ouchie, same story, same pictures. More in Ouchie Ouchie: a board book about small hurts.
Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha: hide-and-seek around the house
A clever mouse keeps hiding and Laali keeps finding it, on beds, behind doors, near ropes.
The text is rhythmic dialogue between Laali and her mother, and the settings are the ones a toddler already knows from home, which is what makes the spotting work. It suits toddlers up to 3 who like searching and guessing. The English edition is Mr Peekaboo Rat.
Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari: a car ride, eventually
Laali wants a ride. First, it turns out, there is work to do: charging the battery, pumping air into the tyres, cleaning the windscreen. The ride comes after.
The loudest of the three, built on Hindi sound words such as छिन छिन, पपक पपक and सपट सपाट, which exist to be said at volume. Hindi only, ages 0 to 3.
Which one as a gift?
- A baby under one: Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari or Ooi Ooi Ooi. Both start from birth and lean on sound.
- A one- or two-year-old: Ooi Ooi Ooi. Small hurts are most of the news at this age.
- A child who likes cars: Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari.
- A two-year-old and up: Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha, for the hide-and-seek.
- A bilingual home: a Hindi board book plus its English edition, Ouchie Ouchie or Mr Peekaboo Rat.
Librarians building a Hindi shelf for the under-fives can take all three.
When they outgrow board pages
Big Beetle Books also publishes Hindi paperbacks for older children. Baksa (ages 2 to 7), two siblings and a cardboard box, won the Binod Kanoria Award 2024 for Best Hindi Picture Book. Khane Mein Kya Hai? (ages 3 to 7) follows a pigeon tired of bajra. Chandu Chor Aur Hawaldaar Turram Khan (ages 3 to 7) is a chase, read loud and fast.
Key facts
- Ooi Ooi Ooi: Hindi · board book · ages 0 to 3 · pair: Ouchie Ouchie
- Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha: Hindi · board book · ages 0 to 3 · pair: Mr Peekaboo Rat
- Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari: Hindi · board book · ages 0 to 3 · Hindi only
- Writer: Nandita Rao
- Illustrator: Charbak Dipta
- Character: Laali, in all three
- Publisher: Big Beetle Books, Bengaluru
Frequently asked questions
What are good Hindi board books for toddlers?
Big Beetle Books publishes three: Ooi Ooi Ooi, Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha and Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari, all for ages 0 to 3. All three follow the toddler Laali.
Which Hindi board book is best for a one-year-old?
Ooi Ooi Ooi and Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari. Both start from birth and are built on sound words and repetition. Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha suits children from two.
Do these Hindi board books have English versions?
Ooi Ooi Ooi has an English edition, Ouchie Ouchie, and Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha has Mr Peekaboo Rat. Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari is in Hindi only.
Are there Hindi books for older children?
Yes. Baksa (ages 2 to 7), Khane Mein Kya Hai? (ages 3 to 7) and Chandu Chor Aur Hawaldaar Turram Khan (ages 3 to 7) are Hindi paperbacks.
Do you deliver outside India?
No. Big Beetle Books ships within India only.
Five minutes, one noise, forty nights. See Ooi Ooi Ooi, Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha and Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari.