Hindi and English picture books: one story, two languages
Big Beetle Books, an independent picture book imprint from Bengaluru, publishes four stories as Hindi and English pairs: Ooi Ooi Ooi and Ouchie Ouchie, Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha and Mr Peekaboo Rat, Baksa and Boxy, and Khane Mein Kya Hai? and What's for Lunch? Each pair is the same story, so a child can meet it in either language.
Four stories, eight books, and one decision that needs explaining.
Why not one book with both languages inside?
It is the first thing people ask, and it sounds obviously correct: print the Hindi under the English and the bilingual home is sorted in one purchase.
No. That book is built for the adult buying it, not the child reading it.
A child reading a double-printed page has to step over the other language to reach her own, every line, for the whole book. Her eye goes to the longer block, yours to whichever you read faster, and nobody is inside the story.
So the pairs work the other way: two doors, one room. Each edition is a complete book in one language, and the story behind both is the same, so whichever door the child comes in by, she arrives in a place she recognises.
A bilingual home doesn't need bilingual books. It needs the same story twice.
The second reading is where it pays off. She knows what happens, so the only new thing on the page is the language, and she has a reason to care: she wants to know what the pigeon says in this one.
Which Big Beetle Books come in Hindi and English?
Four stories. Each Hindi title has an English partner with the same story, writer and illustrator.
- Ooi Ooi Ooi / Ouchie Ouchie (ages 0 to 3). Laali, a toddler, gets small everyday hurts: a head bump, a scraped elbow, a burnt finger. She names it and carries on. Board books.
- Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha / Mr Peekaboo Rat (ages 0 to 3). Hide-and-seek. Laali hunts a clever mouse around the house with her mother. Board books.
- Baksa / Boxy (ages 2 to 7). Two siblings and one cardboard box that becomes a robot, a cave, a boat, a pillow. Very few words. Paperbacks.
- Khane Mein Kya Hai? / What's for Lunch? (ages 3 to 7). A pigeon tired of millets goes looking for better, with messy results. Paperbacks.
What changes between the two editions?
The story stays. The noises change, because noises do not translate.
In Ooi Ooi Ooi Laali says "Ooi Ooi Ooi" when she gets hurt. In Ouchie Ouchie she says "Ouchie ouchie". Same moment, same picture, each time the word a child in that language would actually use.
Khane Mein Kya Hai? is thick with Hindi sound words for birds and eating: गुटरगु, चीं चीं, कुहू कुहू, चटर चटर. Read aloud, they are half the book. The Hindi editions are written in Hindi, not translated into it afterwards.
How families read a pair
No correct method. These are the ones that come back to us.
One language per reader. A grandparent takes the Hindi book, a parent the English. One story, two voices.
Alternate nights. Hindi on Monday, English on Tuesday. By Tuesday she is not listening for the plot, which is the point.
Let her choose. Put both on the shelf and ask which one tonight. Some want both, back to back, and will notice if you skip one.
Key facts
- Pairs: Ooi Ooi Ooi (Hindi) and Ouchie Ouchie (English); Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha (Hindi) and Mr Peekaboo Rat (English); Baksa (Hindi) and Boxy (English); Khane Mein Kya Hai? (Hindi) and What's for Lunch? (English)
- Formats: the two toddler pairs are board books; Baksa / Boxy and Khane Mein Kya Hai? / What's for Lunch? are paperbacks
- Ages: 0 to 3, 0 to 3, 2 to 7 and 3 to 7 respectively
- Writer: Nandita Rao
- Illustrators: Charbak Dipta; Suraj Chaudhari for Khane Mein Kya Hai? and What's for Lunch?
- Award: Baksa won the Binod Kanoria Award 2024, Best Hindi Picture Book
- Publisher: Big Beetle Books, Bengaluru
Frequently asked questions
Are Big Beetle Books available in both Hindi and English?
Four stories are: Ooi Ooi Ooi and Ouchie Ouchie, Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha and Mr Peekaboo Rat, Baksa and Boxy, and Khane Mein Kya Hai? and What's for Lunch? Some titles are single-language, such as Gaadi Ki Ek Aur Savaari in Hindi and A Tree in My Stomach in English.
Is each Hindi book the same story as its English partner?
Yes. Each pair tells the same story, with the same illustrations. The words, especially the sound words, are written to fit each language.
Is there one book with both Hindi and English inside?
No, by design. Each language is its own complete book. You can buy one edition or both.
What age are the Hindi and English board books for?
Ooi Ooi Ooi and Ouchie Ouchie are for ages 0 to 3, and so are Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha and Mr Peekaboo Rat.
Do you ship outside India?
No. Big Beetle Books ships within India only.
Two doors, same room. See Ooi Ooi Ooi, Ouchie Ouchie, Ek Hoshiyaar Chooha, Mr Peekaboo Rat, Baksa, Boxy, Khane Mein Kya Hai? and What's for Lunch?.