With conversations about immigration bans and borders dominating our daily news cycle, questions about what it means to be "American" are never as important as now. This is most true for children, who are figuring out the social politics on a daily basis. All kids feel different, whether it's racial and religious differences or as simple as what clothes they are wearing. Tm Williams has created beautiful illustrations to help capture all the colors of our imagination. This book will serve as an invaluable resource for parents and teachers alike.
Unwrapping
"Sonya Sahni And The First Grade"
It's International Day!
Authored by Soma Mandal
Illustrated by Tim Williams
Ages 4-8
Unwrapping some great illustrations for you to peek at
About the book
This wonderful book is about a little Indian girl who was born in the USA and desperately wants to fit in and be like her friends... an American. Her parents want her to embrace her heritage and celebrate their culture. Sonya is torn between the two because she loves her parents dearly and wants to please them but when she gets to school she longs to be just like the other kids in her class. Frustrated and bewildered she comes home to vent her feelings to her parents and finally just bursts into tears.
Her wise parents sensing the distress of their young daughter go to Sonya's school to express their concerns to her teacher and together they create a plan that might just remedy her dilemma. They design an International Day for all the students to participate in so they can share their ethnicity to the others around them. Will it work and perhaps not only touch Sonya's heart and heal it but touch the hearts of her friends at school too?
This inspiring story will be a wonderful catalyst to spark conversations about family roots and customs. Children can then appreciate their family origins and give them a deeper understanding of where they came from and who they are. I highly recommend this book and feel it would benefit every classroom and library as it can open up dialogue about diversity and how we can celebrate the uniqueness of each other.
Storywraps Rating ... 5 HUGS!!!!!
About the author
Soma Mandal was born to Indian immigrant parents and grew up in New York. She is a practicing internist in NJ. She has an American accent and loves pizza and restaurants that serve breakfast all day. She grew up in the 1980's and felt different from everyone else. She poured her heart into studying and became a hopeless bookworm. Her favorite place is the library, which she visits almost daily. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and family.
About the illustrator
After winning a nations scholarship competition, Tim Williams graduated from The Art Institute of Atlanta. He spent time designing and illustrating billboards while employed by Ted Turner's company - Turner Advertising. Tim started freelancing in 1984 and has since worked for ad agencies, corporations, magazines, publishers, and all 3 professional sports teams based in Atlanta. Tim has won 7 competitive Addy Awards for his illustration work. In recent years Tim has turned his talents towards illustrating children's books, working with both publishing firms and directly with authors. To date he has illustrated over 50 children's books, while still working for a wide variety of clients.
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