Tag Archives: Friends
My Saree
Divya adores her mother’s lovely sarees. Each one is unique. There are Kancheevaram silks, Bengali cottons, Banarasi brocades, and Rajasthani chiffons. They are parrot green, peacock blue, turmeric yellow, and lotus pink. Divya watches her amma (mother) carefully drape and fold the cloth into a beautiful saree. Divya dreams of the day when she can wear her own saree. Then, at Heritage Night at her school, students are to wear something that celebrates their culture and heritage. Divya is so excited, but her amma says that she has to be older to wear a saree and that she should wear the red silk skirt that her grandmother sent her for her birthday. She is heartbroken, but when Heritage Night arrives, Amma surprises her with a green and blue saree decorated with peacocks that she sewed just for Divya. The vibrant illustrations were created with pencil on paper with digital coloring. An author’s note, an illustrator’s note, and a glossary (with pronunciations) appear as back matter in this gorgeous picture book. mjw |
| Title: My Saree Author: Gita Varadarajan Illustrator: Archana Sreenivasan Publisher: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc. Copyright: 2024 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-338-83414-7 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: Princeton, New Jersey Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian Illustrator’s residence: Bangalore, India Subjects: Culture, Dress, Fabrics, Heritage, Sarees, Self-discovery |
The Beautiful Layers Of Me
Once Upon A Diwali
Riya loves Diwali for the tasty treats called ladoos, but not for the dark night and the very loud fireworks. Mama says that Diwali is more than treats. She goes on to explain that it’s about the celebration of light over darkness and good over evil. Riya’s Papa decorates the house with lights and candles. Her sister makes rangoli, which are decorations of patterns made with powdered rice and colorful sand or flowers. Riya helps her. But she still is afraid of the darkness and the spooky, loud fireworks. So Mama tells the legend of why lights are used on Diwali. Riya listens and learns about Ram, the crown prince, who, with his wife and brother, was banished from his kingdom. There was a terrible battle. Ram won and returned to his kingdom on a path with glittering diyas (oil lamps) and glowing lights. Riya understands, becomes a bit braver, and asks to bring her own lantern to the celebration, just in case. Brightly colored cartoon-style artwork further distinguishes the storytelling. An author’s note, an illustrated glossary, a recipe for ladoos, and instructions for a Diwali paper diya craft are included as back matter. mjw |
| Title: Once Upon A Diwali Author: Anita Mishra Illustrator: Diah Chakraborty Publisher: Soaring Kite Books, LLC. Washington D.C. Copyright: 2024 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-958372-44-9 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: El Paso, Texas Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian Illustrator’s residence: Assam, India Subjects: Celebrations, Differences, Diversity, Fireworks, Folktales, Holidays. Religions, Sweets |
Papa’s Butter Chicken: A Celebration Of Family And Community
Monica loves the butter chicken that her father makes. It’s been a family favorite since her father ate it as a young boy in a wonderful restaurant in Delhi. The two have fun preparing the meal, and they set the table for two. But then the doorbell rings and Grandma, Uncle Jai, Uncle Arjun, Cousin Anya, and so many more appear with food for everyone – fresh mangoes, channa masala, palak paneer, naan, dumplings, and cupcakes. They all share the feast that was made with love. Brightly colored artwork in reds, oranges, and blues features South Asian arches and arabesque designs. This celebration of family, food, and Indian heritage includes a foreword by renowned chef José Andrés and the author’s own recipe for butter chicken. mjw |
| Title: Papa’s Butter Chicken: A Celebration Of Family And Community Author: Monica Saigal Illustrator: Abeeha Tariq Publisher: Tiger Tales Copyright: 2024 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-6643-0044-6 Hardcover pages: 36 Age range: 3-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: Washington, DC Illustrator’s ethnicity: Pakistani-Irish Illustrator’s residence: UK Subjects: Celebrations, Communities, Cooking, Father-daughter relationships, Indian heritage, Recipes |
The House On The Canal: The Story Of The House That Hid Anne Frank
The Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery
The Paper Bridge
Music Of The Mountains: A Story In Pakistan
The Yellow Road
Pavlo Gets The Grumps
![]() Pavlo is a cat with the grumps. His mother suggests going to the park, but Pavlo says the swings are too swingy and the slide is too slidey. How about swimming? says Mama, but the water is too wet and the fishes will nibble Pavlo’s toes. Going to the movies isn’t right either for Pavlo. Finally, Pavlo hears his friend Mila calling him. She knows just what to do to get rid of Pavlo’s grumps. The simple comforting text is printed in an extra-large font, making sharing easy, especially for children who have difficulty reading regular-sized print. The brilliantly created illustrations have a soft, fuzzy quality, were rendered in acrylic paint and watercolor pencil, and were finished digitally. mjw |
| Title: Pavlo Gets The Grumps Author: Natalia Shaloshvili Illustrator: Natalia Shaloshvili Publisher: Candlewick Press Copyright: 2024 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Walker Books Ltd. UK Original Copyright: 2024 ISBN: 978-1-5362-3554-8 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Author’s residence: UK Illustrator’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Illustrator’s residence: UK Subjects: Anger, Cats, Feelings, Love, Sadness |
A Map For Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search For Home
At school, a young Palestinian girl named Falasteen struggles to find her homeland on a map. She is troubled, confused, and curious when her teacher tells her she “thinks there’s no such place.” Falasteen asks her grandfather why Palestine isn’t on the map, and he draws her a colorful outline map showing various Palestinian cities and villages that she can take to school to show her teachers and classmates. She also asks her grandma, who is working in the kitchen. Grandma tells her of when soldiers, tanks, and guns forced her family from their home. Finally, Falesteen asks her mother why Palestine isn’t on the map. Mama replies that there are places you don’t need a map to find – their favorite trail, the bird’s nest in the chimney, their music and food, their names and language, and things that they haven’t seen with their own eyes. She says, “Palestine lives in you and me.” Beautiful, inspiring illustrations and thorough back matter round out this important and timely book. mjw
Title: A Map For Falasteen
Author: Maysa Odeh
Illustrator: Aliaa Betawi
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company. New York
Copyright: 2024
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-250-89670-4
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Palestinian
Author’s residence: California, USA
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Palestinian
Illustrator’s residence: Alexandria, Egypt
Awards: 2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award. Elementary Honor
Subjects: Arabs, Family life, Homes, Israel, Maps, Middle East, Multigenerational, Palestine, Refugees












