THE MANY COLORS OF HARPREET SINGH

Name: THE MANY COLORS OF HARPREET SINGH
Author: Supriya Kelkar
ISBN: 978-1-4549-3184-3

by Supriya Kelkar ; illustrated by Alea Marley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

This simple yet sensitive story about a child coming to terms with things beyond his control will resonate across cultures....

bookshelf

Indian American Harpreet Singh is a practicing Sikh and has a different color patka, or head covering, for every occasion.

He wears yellow when he feels sunny and cheerful, pink when he feels like celebrating, and red when he wants to feel brave. When his mother gets a job in a small snowy town across the country, Harpreet is apprehensive about the move despite his parents’ assurance that it will be an adventure. Harpreet begins to wear colors for not-so-happy occasions: He wears blue to the airport because he’s nervous and gray when he’s sad. Most often of all, however, Harpreet wears white, as he feels shy and doesn’t want to be seen. Will Harpreet ever feel like his cheerful self in his new home? Kelkar’s telling of Harpreet’s story is crisp and straightforward, and Marley’s bright illustrations tactfully and subtly convey cultural differences that make Harpreet feel different from and invisible to his peers. In the lunchroom scene with all the other children, for example, Harpreet has in front of him a large plate of traditional Indian chapati (bread) and dal (lentils), whereas his peers are shown munching on more “American” dishes (like cake). An afterword by Simran Jeet Singh, a scholar and professor of Sikhism, helps contextualize this story for readers who are not familiar with the religion.

This simple yet sensitive story about a child coming to terms with things beyond his control will resonate across cultures. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4549-3184-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sterling

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ROOHI AND NATE ARE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE
by Supriya Kelkar & Jarrett Lerner ; illustrated by Supriya Kelkar & Jarrett Lerner

- BOOK REVIEW
THANK YOU, TEACHER!
by Supriya Kelkar ; illustrated by Supriya Kelkar

- BOOK REVIEW
KAMALA RAISED HER HAND
by Raakhee Mirchandani ; illustrated by Supriya Kelkar

bookshelf

HEDGEHOGS DON'T WEAR UNDERWEAR

by Marissa Valdez ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2025

Sure to have little ones giggling.

bookshelf

Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”

Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.

Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: April 1, 2025

ISBN: 9781250814388

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
MAYA'S BIG QUESTION
by Meena Harris ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez

- BOOK REVIEW
WHO'S IN CHARGE?
by Stephanie Allain & Jenny Klion ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez

- BOOK REVIEW
HATTIE HARMONY: OPENING NIGHT
by Elizabeth Olsen & Robbie Arnett ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)