Books

Lighting a Lamp: A Diwali Story by Jonny Zucker.

Story of Divaali by Verma Jatinder

Alphabet Book by Famke Zonneveld

Diwali

Diwali is one of the most important festivals celebrated in India. It is celebrated on the darkest night of the year, which usually falls sometime in the beginning of November. Diwali, though, is the festival of lights.

All over India, homes are decorated with lights and earthenware lamps filled with oil. These lamps are called diyas. The name 'Diwali' is from the Sanskrit 'dipavali', which means 'row of lamps'. Diyas are lit in every house to banish the dark and welcome in good luck and good fortune.

People wear new clothes, meet their friends and relatives, eat good food, give each other sweets and gifts, decorate their houses with flowers and lights and Rangoli patterns, and set off fireworks.

In the evening, many people hold a small prayer or puja in their homes. They honour Ganesh, the god of wisdom and good luck, the one who removes all obstacles from life; and they worship Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and good fortune. Lights are left burning all night, so that Lakshmi may feel welcome and enter.

Diwali is also the start of the New Year for many communities in India.
Diwali is a festival of joy, prosperity and good luck, and a celebration of the victory of good over evil - which is expressed through different stories in different parts of India.

More Diwali Stories

Number Poem

A poem to teach your child how to write numbers

Around we go!
To make a zero!

Start at the top then down you run
That's the way to make a one!

Around and back on a railroad track!
Choo, choo, choo!

Around a tree and around a tree,
That's the way to make a three!

Down and across and down once more,
That's the way to make a four!

Short neck, belly fat,
Mr. Five wears a hat.

Make a C then in you go,
That's the way to make six, you know!

Across the sky and down from heaven,
That's the way to make a seven!

Make an S but do not wait,
Go back up and close the gate. (8)

A hoop and a line,That makes a nine.

Storytime Verse

Said slowly and deliberately:

The moon is round
it has two eyes
two ears
but.... no sound.

And then there is a meaningful pause of silence before thestoryteller commences.

Candle Lighting Verse

Here is the spark of Father Sun's Light
May it keep us warm and bright

Summer Poem

What do you suppose?

1 bee sat on my nose.

He said, "I beg your pardon,I thought you were a garden!"

You can use your finger to be the bee that land on someone's nose.

Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse

Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse both lived in a house.

Titty Mouse went a-gleaning, and Tatty Mouse went a-gleaning.

So they both went a-gleaning.

Titty Mouse gleaned an ear of corn, and Tatty Mouse gleaned an ear of corn.

So they both gleaned an ear of corn.

Titty Mouse made a pudding, and Tatty Mouse made a pudding.

So they both made a pudding.

And Tatty Mouse put her pudding into the pot to boil.

But when Titty went to put hers in, the pot tumbled over, and scalded her to death, and Tatty sat down and wept.

Then the three-legged stool said, “Tatty, why do you weep?”

“Titty’s dead,” said Tatty, “and so I weep.”

“Then,” said the stool, “I’ll hop,” so the stool hopped.

Then a broom in the corner of the room said, “Stool, why do you hop?”

“Oh!” said the stool, “Titty’s dead, and Tatty weeps, and so I hop.”

“Then,” said the broom, “I’ll sweep,” so the broom began to sweep.

Then said the door, “Broom, why do you sweep?”

“Oh!” said the broom, “Titty’s dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and so I sweep.”

“Then,” said the door, “I’ll jar,” so the door jarred.

Then the window said, “Door, why do you jar?”

“Oh!” said the door, “Titty’s dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, and so I jar.”

“Then,” said the window, “I’ll creak,” so the window creaked.

Now there was an old form outside the house, and when the window creaked, the form said, “Window, why do you creak?”

“Oh!” said the window, “Titty’s dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, the door jars, and so I creak!”

“Then,” said the old form, “I’ll gallop round the house.” So the old form galloped round the house.

Now there was a fine large walnut tree growing by the cottage, and the tree said to the form, “Form, why do you gallop round the house?”

“Oh!” says the form, “Titty’s dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, the door jars, and the window creaks, and so I gallop round the house.”

“Then,” said the walnut tree, “I’ll shed my leaves.” So the walnut tree shed all its beautiful green leaves.

Now there was a little bird perched on one of the boughs of the tree, and when all the leaves fell, it said, “Walnut tree, why do you shed your leaves?”

“Oh!” said the tree, “Titty’s dead, and Tatty weeps, the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, the door jars, and the window creaks, the old form gallops round the house, and so I shed my leaves.”

“Then,” said the little bird, “I’ll moult all my feathers,” so he moulted all his gay feathers.

Now there was a little girl walking below, carrying a jug of milk for her brothers’ and sisters’ supper, and when she saw the poor little bird moult all its feathers, she said, “Little bird, why do you moult all your feathers?”

“Oh!” said the little bird, “Titty’s dead, and Tatty weeps, the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, the door jars, and the window creaks, the old form gallops round the house, the walnut tree sheds its leaves, and so I moult all my feathers.”

“Then,” said the little girl, “I’ll spill the milk.” So she dropt the pitcher and spilt the milk.

Now there was an old man just by on the top of a ladder thatching a rick, and when he saw the little girl spill the milk, he said, “Little girl, what do you mean by spilling the milk? your little brothers and sisters must go without their suppers.”

Then said the little girl, “Titty’s dead, and Tatty weeps, the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, the door jars, and the window creaks, the old form gallops round the house, the walnut tree sheds all its leaves, the little bird moults all its feathers, and so I spill the milk.”

“Oh!” said the old man, “then I’ll tumble off the ladder and break my neck.”

So he tumbled off the ladder and broke his neck; and when the old man broke his neck, the great walnut tree fell down with a crash and upset the old form and house, and the house falling knocked the window out, and the window knocked the door down, and the door upset the broom, and the broom upset the stool, and poor little Tatty Mouse was buried beneath the ruins.