One Little Lamp: A Diwali Story

One Little Lamp by Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a gentle, uplifting picturebook that follows a single lamp as its light travels from person to person, showing how kindness grows when it is shared.

Its rhythmic text and glowing illustrations make it ideal for Year 2 children (ages 6+), who can easily grasp the idea that small actions can brighten someone else's day. The story's simplicity invites young readers to predict, infer and reflect, helping them understand how one positive choice can spark another.

This is a great book for any Key stage 1 (ages 5+) classroom as it opens rich cross‑curricular possibilities. It supports PSHE learning through discussions about empathy, community and the ripple effect of kindness. In art, children can create lamps or lanterns using warm colours to represent positive actions. In literacy, the repetitive structure inspires pupils to write their own 'little lamp' stories, while in science, the lamp becomes a starting point for exploring light sources.

Across subjects, the book encourages children to see themselves as capable of spreading light in their classroom and beyond.

Picture book / Reviewed by Louise Gahan, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+