Books by Uma Krishnaswami that will invoke literary skills in kids

Starting young, children will draw inspiration from the author

Indian author of picture books and novels for children, Uma Krishnaswami has to her credit many interesting books that have children hooked to them. Krishnaswami first wrote stories and poems for children when she was only of 13-years-old. The author is particularly recognised for being a major voice in the expansion of international and multicultural young adult fiction and children's literature. Her work not only includes picture books for children but also collections of stories on India, non-fiction books, and novels. Her work has been published in English, Spanish, Hindi, Tamil, and six other languages. Here are some of Uma Krishnaswami's books that children must read.

Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh

The story is set in the spring of 1945 when World War II is going on. The plot of the book revolves around nine-year-old Maria Singh who longs to play softball in the first-ever girls' team. The formation of the all-girls team comes about with Maria's teacher Miss Newman who is extremely inspired by Babe Ruth and the All-American Girls' League. But as the situation gets difficult, there is only much Maria’s parents can do to protect the family and lose their farmland.

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

The plot of the book revolves around 11-year-old Dini who loves everything about movies - right from watching to reading about them and wanting to write one of her own - especially a Bollywood movie. But her dreams come to a halt when her family informs her that they are moving back to India. Unfortunately, the family is not moving to Bombay but to a small village, Swapnagiri.

Naming Maya

This is the story of Maya who is in Chennai with her mother trying to sell her grandfather’s old house. During her stay in Chennai, Maya soon gets into a complicated friendship with Kamala Mami, a housekeeper and cook for years in Maya's extended family. At the same time, things get emotionally jarring for Maya as she tries to discover the reason behind her parents’ divorce. And with the help of Kamala Mami and her cousin Sumati, Maya comes to see what actually happened to her parents.

Some of her picture books are Out of the Way! Out of the Way!, Remembering Grandpa, Bringing Asha Home, The Closet Ghosts, The Happiest Tree, Monsoon, and Chachaji's Cup. Some of her other easy reads are Holi, Hello Flower, and Yoga Class.