Quick answer
Start with your child's age, then follow what they love. Toddlers need sturdy board books full of rhythm and colour, pre-schoolers love picture books about feelings and festivals, early readers race through short, funny chapter books and comics, and older children want bigger worlds and harder questions. Below are the books Bukmuk families borrow most at each stage.
Walk into any Indian home on a lazy afternoon and you will hear a story somewhere in the background. A grandparent retelling a tale from their childhood. A parent giving voices to animals while a toddler shrieks with delight. A child curled up in a corner with a comic.
The question parents ask us most is simple: what should my child read right now? There is no single answer, but there are patterns. This guide walks through them, age by age, with books you can borrow today.
Babies and toddlers (0 to 2): stories as sound and colour
A board book in a toddler's hand might be chewed, hugged or thrown across the room. That is part of the experience. At this age children listen to rhythm more than they follow meaning, so pick books with bold pictures, few words and plenty of repetition.
Board books to start with
Gajapati Kulapati
Ashok Rajagopalan
Ages 3–5
The elephant who could not get up. Families come back for this one again and again.
Look, the Moon!
Sandhya Rao
Ages 1–4
A gentle bedtime book for bringing the day to a close.
Ranganna
Arthi Anand Navaneeth
Ages 1–4
A short, warm Indian story that small children ask for by name.
The Gruffalo Board book
Julia Donaldson
Ages 1–3
The classic, in a board book sturdy enough for tiny hands.
Pre-schoolers (3 to 5): big feelings and curious questions
Emotions spill out without warning at this age, and a picture book becomes a small place to rest. Look for stories about festivals, families and feelings, and for books that are fun to read aloud.
Picture books for 3 to 5
Amma Tell Me How Hanuman Crossed the Ocean!: Part 2 in the Hanuman Trilogy!
Bhakti Mathur
Ages 3–5
Indian festivals and stories, told the way a child would ask about them.
Let's Read!: Room on the Broom
Julia Donaldson
Ages 3–6
A rhyme so catchy that children finish the lines for you.
A Pair of Twins (Karadi Tales)
Kavitha Mandana
Ages 3–5
A Karadi Tales favourite for reading together.
Classic Folk Tales From India: Panchatantra Vol. 1
Rajpal Graphic Studio
Ages 3–6
Panchatantra stories with pictures, perfect for bedtime.
Early readers (6 to 8): the first confident steps
A child who is starting to read alone wants movement: mischief, short chapters and characters who do unexpected things. Old favourites like Tenali Raman and Birbal still disappear from our shelves quickly, and series like Geronimo Stilton keep children reading one book after another.
First chapter books
The Adventures of Tenali Raman - Vol. 2
Puffin
Ages 4–6
Quick wit and short stories, ideal for reading alone.
Akbar Birbal : The Best of Akbar Birbal (Classics Tales for Children)
Om Books Editorial Team
Ages 8–12
Clever stories with a little wisdom in each one.
The Blue Umbrella
Ruskin Bond
Ages 6–8
Ruskin Bond's quiet classic about a girl and her umbrella.
The Magic of the Lost Temple
Sudha Murty
Ages 6–13
Sudha Murty's adventure for children ready for a longer story.
Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye: 01 (Geronimo Stilton - 1)
Geronimo Stilton
Ages 6–10
The first Geronimo Stilton. If they like it, there are dozens more.
Comics and graphic novels: for the child who says they don't like books
Pictures carry part of the story, so the page feels lighter. For many reluctant readers, a comic is the book that finally clicks, and it is real reading.
Comics children ask for by name
Dog Man
Dav Pilkey
Ages 6–10
Dav Pilkey's half-dog, half-cop hero. Pure silliness, very readable.
Tom Gates Book #1: The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
Tom Gates
Ages 7–13
A diary full of doodles and jokes.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jeff Kinney
Ages 6–8
The series that turned many children into readers.
The Bad Guys Episode 4: Attack of the Zittens
Aaron Blabey
Ages 7–13
Fast, funny and loved by 6 to 9 year olds.
Tinkle Origins- 04
Amar chitra katha
Ages 7–16
Tinkle, the Indian comic generations have grown up with.
Ages 9 to 12: a wider view of the world
Children now shift from simply reading to noticing. They question fairness, think about friendships and respond to plots in sharper ways. Indian stories and global favourites sit happily side by side on this shelf.
Books for 9 to 12
Grandma's Bag of Stories
Sudha Murty
Ages 6–13
Sudha Murty's stories told by a grandmother to her grandchildren.
Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of Ramayana
Devdutt Pattanaik
Ages 1+
The Ramayana retold through Sita's eyes, with illustrations.
Malgudi Schooldays (Puffin Classics)
Narayan R.K.
Ages 9–13
R. K. Narayan's Malgudi, the right age to meet it.
Wonder
R J Palacio
Ages 1+
A book about kindness that children talk about long after.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan
Ages 9–17
Greek myths as a modern adventure series.
Ages 13 to 15: the quiet turning point
In these years children become a different kind of reader. They look for nuance and want stories that treat them as thinking people. Give them classics, big ideas and series they can lose themselves in.
Books for early teens
The Gita: For Children
Roopa Pai
Ages 1+
Roopa Pai makes the Gita approachable for young readers.
Anne of Green Gables (Vintage Classics)
L.M. Montgomery
Ages 10–16
A classic that still finds loyal readers every year.
The Hunger Games Movie-Tie in-Edition
Suzanne Collins
Ages 1+
For teens who want a gripping, thoughtful series.
A small shelf that never ages
Panchatantra, Jataka tales, Malgudi Days, Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle come back to us with the soft creases of rereading. Parents often borrow them for the children and end up reading them again themselves.
How to use this guide
- Start with your child's age, then let them choose from the list.
- Move up to the next stage when a book starts to feel easy.
- Keep comics and picture books in the mix, even for confident readers.
- If a book is not working after a few pages, swap it. The next one might be the one.
A note for parents
Every child reads at their own pace. There is no late reader, only a child who has not found the right book yet. Reading cultures are not built with grand plans; they grow in ordinary pauses, a rainy Sunday, a long car ride, the quiet half hour before bed.
Want a list made for your child? Message us on WhatsApp with their age and what they love, and we will suggest books from the library.
Questions parents ask
Keep exploring
Every book here can come home.
Pick books, we deliver them, your child reads, and we swap them for the next ones.