A Project of the South Asia National Outreach Consortium
The South Asia Book Award is delighted to announce our honors list for 2026! We received more than 100 submissions this year. Congratulations to all the amazing authors and illustrators listed below! Award Winners Midnight Motorbike Written by Maureen Shay Tajsar, Illustrated by Ishita Jain Neal Porter Books/Holiday House Join a young girl and her …
The Camel Library: A True Story from Pakistan Written by Marzieh Abbas. Illustrated by Anain Shaikh. (Feiwel & Friends, 2025) Join Roshan, a hardworking camel, and his human companion, Murad, as they embark on an unexpected journey that brings books to children in rural Pakistan. Inspired by the true story of Pakistan’s first camel library, …
The First Girl on Stage: Tunga Dances the Yakshagana Written by Shruthi Rao. Illustrated by Devika Joglekar. (Yali Books/Sambasivan & Parikh, 2025) Join Tunga, a young girl in South India, as she pursues her dream of learning yakshagana, a vibrant traditional performance art that combines music, dance, storytelling, elaborate costumes, and dramatic expression. Inspired by …
The Mithai Box Is Not Empty Written by Namrata Agarwal. Illustrated by Parvati Pillai (Holiday House Press, 2025) Mithai is well known in South Asian families. Similar to a box of chocolates, it can be gifted during a celebration or given as an expression of love or appreciation. In The Mithai Box is Not Empty, …
Music of the Mountains Written by Sabrina Shah. Illustrated by Manal Mirza. (Barefoot Books, 2025) Join Roohi, a young girl in a contemporary Pashtun village in rural Pakistan, as she discovers the power of music, family, and cultural tradition through her love of the rabab, a beloved stringed instrument of the Pashtun people. Surrounded by …
Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India’s Woven Trees Written by Sandhya Acharya. Illustrated by Avani Dwivedi. (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025) Join a young narrator and his mentor as they take a wonder-filled walk across a living bridge in the mountainous state of Meghalaya in northeastern India. The Living Root Bridges, …
Midnight Motorbike Written by Maureen Shay Tajsar. Illustrated by Ishita Jain. (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2025) Join a young girl and her Amma on a magical moonlit motorbike ride through the villages, roads, and landscapes of South India on a night too warm for sleep. Through richly sensory storytelling, Tajsar invites readers to experience the …
Yasmeen Lari, Green Architect, written by Marzieh Abbas, illustrated by Hoda Hadadi (Clarion Books, 2024) Yasmeen Lari has shattered multiple glass ceilings—not only as Pakistan’s first woman architect but also as a passionate activist and community organizer dedicated to preserving the country’s historic architecture and heritage sites. She has led humanitarian efforts that empower local …
My Mother’s Tongues, written by Uma Menon, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell (Candlewick Press, 2024) Sumi is in awe of her mother’s superpower: her mom can speak two languages- Malayalam and English. Through beautiful mixed media images, the author and illustrator invites the readers to join a story that highlights the importance of communicating through multilingualism …
Asha the Auto-Driver, written by Aruna Shekar, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (Tulika Books, 2024) Follow Asha as she drives in the beautiful, bustling streets of Chennai from dawn to dusk. Her green-and-yellow auto is more than just a ride — it’s a moving sanctuary where stories bloom like the jasmine strings she sells. (Grades PK-2) Award …
