Explore the Ancient World Student Research Guide

Chödzin, Sherab and Alexandra Kohn. Wisdom of the Crows and Other Buddhist Tales. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press, 1998. This is a collection of Buddhist moral tales from cultures throughout Asia. Makes a good read-aloud book. 80 pages. Fiction.

Conover, Sarah. Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents. The Little Light of Mine Series. Spokane, WA: Eastern Washington University Press, 2001. This book contains a wealth of Buddhist tales, including some lesser known Jataka tales. Makes a good read-aloud book. 163 pages. Fiction.

Gray, J. E. B. Tales from India. Oxford Myths and Legends. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Gray presents a rich array of classic stories from India's diverse culture and history. 151 pages. Fiction.

Landaw, Jonathan. Prince Siddhartha: The Story of Buddha. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2003. Accompanied by vivid illustrations, this book tells the tale of the life of Prince Siddhartha and how he became the Buddha. 144 pages. Fiction.

Nonfiction Books

Chatterjee, Manini. India. Eyewitness Books. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 2002. Chatterjee explores basic aspects of Indian culture and history from the Indus Age to modern times. 64 pages. Nonfiction.

Ganeri, Anita. Buddhism. New York: Peter Bedrick, 2001. Ganeri explores the historical background of Buddhism, the basic tenets and practices of the religion, and the major ethnic groups that espouse this faith. 48 pages. Nonfiction.

Ganeri, Anita. The Tipitaka and Buddhism. Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media, 2003. Ganeri explores Buddhism using its sacred texts as a starting point. The book also has a Jataka tale and covers the many different schools of Buddhism. 30 pages. Nonfiction.

Krishnaswami, Uma. Shower of Gold: Girls and Women in the Stories of India. North Haven, CT: Linnet Books, 1999. Krishnaswami retells a number of stories featuring strong female figures from the history, religion, and folklore of India. Makes a good read-aloud book. 125 pages. Nonfiction and fiction.

Web Sites

http://www.ancientindia.co.uk/
Ancient India—The British Museum. An excellent resource for all kinds of information related to ancient India. Includes facts about the Indus Valley, Buddhism, early Hinduism, and Indian script. See some of the artifacts that archaeologists found in Mohenjo-Daro, and read stories that are both interesting and educational. The map of India in the geography page is interactive; zoom in for close-up views, select an area to study in greater detail, and identify the major river systems in the country.

http://www.vedah.com/org/audioVis/selectionsRV.asp
SAKSIVC: Audio-Visuals—Selections from the Rig Veda. Aryan literature still exists today. Hear parts of the Rig-Veda, an ancient sacred Hindu text of India, sung. While you are listening to each selection, look at the Sanskrit script and the translation in English.

http://sanskrit.safire.com/Audio.html
Audio Recordings of Sanskrit Texts. More recordings of ancient religious texts appear on this web site. Listen to the chants, enjoy "reading along" with the Sanskrit text, and see what some of the verses mean in English.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/india/history/aryan.htm
Indo-Europeans in India—History for Kids! Study about the migration of the Indo-Europeans to India, where they are referred to as Aryans. Find out what people mean by the caste system and about the highest class of people, the Brahmans. Take a few moments to look at the time lines on this page. They will help you understand how Indian history relates to what happened in the rest of the world before and during this period.

http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/religion/buddism.html
World Almanac for Kids: Buddhism. Even though Buddhism is now a stronger force in China and Japan, it had its roots in India. This site has a short biography about the founder of the religion, Siddhartha Gautama, and discusses the basic beliefs of Buddhists. What are the Four Noble Truths? What do Buddhists think will happen if they follow the Eightfold Path? Inspect this page and you will find the answers.

http://www.karlgrobl.com/Ganges/
Ganges River India. You have read about the rivers in India and the important role they played in the advancement of civilization, now see glimpses of what part of the Ganges, the most significant waterway to Hindu worshipers, looks like now. This site offers beautiful full-color photographs of people boating on and wading in the Ganges River, or sitting onshore.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
National Geographic. Discover maps of the world, historical photographs, and interactive adventures on the National Geographic site.