Unknown Heroes Of India’s Freedom Struggle

This non-fiction graphic novel comprises 16 distinctive narratives that provide the histories of India’s hard-fought independence. The author notes that in a few years’ time, “there will not be a single person alive who fought for [India’s] freedom”. These (his)stories are available for adolescent and young adult learners to gain a deeper, and more humane, understanding of India’s history. Classrooms can easily use this book as a supplement to research projects, or as a classroom text that delves deeper into India’s past. (Grades 8-12)

I am Kavi

Fourteen-year-old Kavi dreams of escaping her impoverished village life in Sri Lanka and finding freedom through her poetry. After receiving a scholarship to an elite school in Colombo, Kavi is caught between two worlds: her rural home and the privileged urban life of her classmates. Set against the backdrop of the 1998 Sri Lankan civil war, Kavi’s journey explores themes of resilience, belonging, and self-discovery. (Grades 3-7)

Ganesha Goes Green

Prema is looking forward to the annual Ganesh Chaturthi festival, but her anticipation is marred – her mother has become sick from the chemicals leached into the river by the very plaster Ganesha statues used to celebrate the holiday! While walking by the riverbank, Prema has an idea. Using the clay from the river to build the Ganesha statues will let the people celebrate as usual, while also preserving the health of the river water. Though it takes her many tries, and the help of her friends, Prema creates enough clay Ganesha statues to make a difference in her village’s celebrations. This colorful picture book raises awareness of ecological issues surrounding the festival. (Grades PK-3)

Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes

A young girl named Paro comes from a family of Bharatanatyam dancers, and feels out of place at her first ballet class. The other students seem more skilled and knowledgeable, and her background in Bharatnatyam seems like an obstacle to becoming a beautiful ballerina. With help from the dance teacher and her mother, Paro and her classmates all come to appreciate and celebrate Bharatanatyam. Beautifully illustrated and rich with historical connections, this book provides representation to South Asians in a space where they are not typically seen or encouraged. (Grades 1-2)

Words in the Dust

Zulaikha, a thirteen-year-old girl in Afghanistan, faces a series of frightening but exhilarating changes in her life as she defies her father and secretly meets with an old woman who teaches her to read, her older sister gets married, and American troops offer her surgery to fix her disfiguring cleft lip. (Grade 6 & up)

Machher Jhol

Gopu finds courage as he travels through the bustling crowds, the market, and traffic of Calcutta, to gather ingredients for his grandma to cook his father’s favorite dish—fish curry (machher jhol). The illustrations invite the reader to travel along with Gopu, and hope that the special dish is just the medicine Gopu’s father needs to feel well again. (Grades K-5)