American Desi

American Desi is a beautiful, touching children's book that opens the mind and senses to those around us who come from multiple cultural backgrounds. A true celebration of the richness of cultural diversity and openness. A great read and message for children of all cultural backgrounds. Well done!

Who am I? What are my colors? Where do I truly belong? To these simple and yet profound questions, the author gives a beautifully joyful and true answer. The words and rhythms are lovely, the pacing perfect, the illustrations fabulous and fun. Great book.

"American Desi" is a picture book about a girl who is Indian and American and seeking to understand her identity. In beautifully collaged poetic spreads, the child considers a rainbow of chromatic elements that are central to her and her culture, from "Festive henna, garnet red" to "Shimmery blue, hip-hop grooves." With repetition, she asks, "Which is the color of me?" As the story progresses, the child recognizes the many "different colors of me," an idea that grows into further recognition of all that she is - her voice, her flavors of cuisine, and much more. "Loud and proud, my worlds collide. Forging space, no need to hide" - American Desi is a reflective, celebratory, powerful song of a story - a special book, indeed.

"American Desi" by Jyoti Rajan Gopal and illustrated by Supriya Kelkar offers a fun look at one child's experience discovering who they are and how they choose to present their bicultural identity to the world. Kelkar's use of color and mixed media add vibrancy to an important story about representation and authenticity.

I've had the pleasure of reading several books written by people I know, and this is one of them. Meeting Jyoti (we taught at the same school) and coming to know her as a dedicated, child-centered kindergarten teacher, it is no surprise that she has crafted a thoughtfully rhymed book for young children and the adults who hang out with them.Having been a recipient of her delicious Indian dishes and her hospitality, all meshed with seemingly boundless energy, I was eagerly awaiting publication of this first book. (There are more in the pipeline!)The expressive words she has chosen to convey wonderment and appreciation for growing up within mixed cultures appeals not just to children but also to adults. Reading this book quietly to myself, I couldn't help but think of my grandparents and great-grandparents who emigrated to this country at the turn of not the last century but the one before that, and the rituals that traveled with them; some which they chose to keep and some which they chose to let lapse.Supriya Kelkar's vibrant drawings impress for their bold colors and invite you in for further exploration to really look at what you are seeing. Jyoti's words and Supriya's drawings are a beautiful blending, not unlike that of American Desi.

This lyrical, rhyming picture book shows the two cultural worlds of a young girl--her Indian heritage and her American one--and her journey to figuring out where she best fits. The vibrant illustrations based in a metaphor of numerous depictions of fabrics exude joy and energy along with a celebration of cultures that can be readily felt from the page. This book can be used to launch into discussion with young readers on cultural identity, where we each fit, and how we contribute positively in our diverse society. I highly recommend this book for all readers!

Sumptuous artwork and lyrical text combine for a transcendent picture book that celebrates bicultural identity and being true to yourself. The main character initially sees South Asian and American identities as separate but over the course of the book, they discover how both cultures are part of them and worthy of celebration. A refrain of "the colors of me" reinforces this thread throughout the book.NOTE: I wrote this review based on a digital ARC accessed on Edelweiss.

This book is a lyrical celebration of the cross-cultural mixing that happens when children straddle the worlds of their countries of origin and destination. Whether it's clothing, food, body decoration, music/dance steps, sports, or language, the child in the narrative weaves together the varied strands of herself, acknowledging the differences, and owning them all with joy. A gloriously, sumptuously, boldly (yes, all of those adverbs apply) illustrated book to match the narrator's confident sense of self. I can see this book as a jumping off point for all children of mixed origins to identify and celebrate the varied cultural strands within themselves and for their single origin allies to appreciate the complex interweave of cultures within their friends.