[These] holy books of the Hindus, contain lots of very exciting and colourful stories. They include epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. They also include books called the Puranas which contain legendary stories about Gods and Goddesses. Such stories teach Hindu children how to tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong what is good and what is bad. Such stories, emphasise the importance of honesty, courage, discipline and being helpful to others.

The Ramayana

This epic relates the famous story of Rama and his wife Sita. It narrates why Rama and Sita left their kingdom and went to live in the forest, where а wicked king kidnapped Sita. Rama destroyed the wicked king and rescued Sita with the help of his friend Hanuman the monkey God. They came back to their kingdom where a big celebration took place. The day they returned is still celebrated as the festival of Diwali. Rama and Sita became the king and queen and ruled very wisely. Like Rama, all Hindus like to be brave and just. Like Sita, all Hindu women like to be gentle, kind and loyal. Hindu children are taught to be strong, brave and helpful like Hanuman.

The Mahabharata

This is the famous story of five brave princes. They were called the Pandavas. They had one hundred evil cousins who were very jealous of them. The evil cousins kept trying to take away the Pandavas' kingdom, but Krishna helped the Pandava brothers to fight back and regain their kingdom. The Mahabharata teaches Hindus how to lead a religious life.

Reference: Primary Hinduism by Seeta Lakhani (Ch.3, 'Hindu Holy Books', p.37-38)