One Diwali Day
by Dev Kothari, illustrated by Aditi Anand
Interest age: 3 to 7
Published by Walker Books, 2025
About this book
It's the evening of Diwali and Ronak is excited to see his big sister, Dida, who's coming home for the celebrations. But his rangoli design gets smudged and then he spills juice on his brand-new kurta. Everything is going wrong! And Dida's not here yet! Surely she won't miss all the fun?
This is a sweet story of sibling love, set during Diwali, the festival of lights, with gorgeously soft illustrations. The various traditions of rangoli, delicious food, fireworks and lights are included, and there's a recipe for padas and instructions for making a lantern at the back, meaning it's a great book for learning about how families celebrate Diwali. And it could also be read with a child who tends to be over-anxious. Ronak is a worrier, and there's a refrain threaded throughout: Arré, arré! No, no! Now what will I do? But various family members help him to let go of his worries so that they fly away. Things work out in the end. Delightful.
More books like this
-
The Night Before Diwali
by Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Darshika Varma
3 to 5 years
-
Binny's Diwali
by Thrity Umrigar, illustrated by Nidhi Chanani
4 to 9 years
-
The Best Diwali Ever
by Sonali Shah, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
2 to 9 years
-
One Little Lamp
by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Navya Raju
4 to 7 years
Lists of recommended reads
-
Picture books with South Asian characters
These fantastic books celebrate South Asian families and culture - and everyone can enjoy reading them together.
-
Books that celebrate Diwali
Diwali, or the festival of lights, is celebrated all around the world each October or November - and there are lots of ways to join in the fun! Here's our pick of the best children's books about Diwali.