Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding

by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, Parwinder Singh (Illustrator)

Overview

Kindhearted Archie is back! Her Poppy Uncle is getting married in a big Indian wedding, and Archie and new friend Emma realize that love and fun are universal.

In this cross-cultural friendship story, Archie helps Emma, who isn’t Indian, learn everything she needs to know when Archie’s Poppy Uncle and Emma’s Auntie Julie get married. The girls go to the mehendi party and sangeet together. They help Julie at the wedding, steal Poppy’s shoes, and eat ladoos at the reception. Now Archie and Emma are friends—and cousins!

Archie’s adventures celebrate Indian culture! We first met Archie in Archie Celebrates Diwali and now join her in the follow-up Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding. Backmatter in Archie's books feature kid-friendly resources to enrich the reading experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623544188
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	04/30/2024
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.37(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mitali Banerjee Ruths is the author of The Party Diaries series and Archie Celebrates Diwali. She grew up in a big Indian family. She is an American living in Canada who sometimes still dreams about being an astronaut.

Parwinder Singh has been drawing since childhood. He worked in animation before creating children's books. He loves exploring art styles and traveling to different places. He is the illustrator of Archie Celebrates Diwali, Let's Eat! Mealtime Around the World, and other books for children.

Editorial Reviews

This is the second Archie book in which the protagonist Archana (aka Archie) teaches readers about an Indian tradition. The story finds Archie excited about her Poppy Uncle’s wedding; it is,after all, an “Indian wedding . . . a lot of things happen. You’re supposed to have fun and behappy.” The book reads like a primer for cultural outsiders, represented by the blonde bride andher white family. It falls to Archie to explain the traditions and rituals to young Emma and even toMiss Julie, the bride herself. If readers can suspend disbelief in the credibility of the plotline, theycan enjoy learning about, or recognizing, many of the ceremonies involved in and around the wedding. Meanwhile, Archie and Emma become friends and family. Detailed and colorful illustrations bring the wedding to life, and back matter reiterates the significance of the customs.This could be part of a text set about Indian weddings, along with Zain Bandali's Mehndi Boy (2023), Meera Sriram's A Garden in My Hands (2023), and Ameya Narvankar's Ritu Weds Chandni (2020).

—Booklist

From the Publisher

2024-02-03
In this follow-up to Archie Celebrates Diwali (2021), a young Indian girl guides her cousin-to-be through the ins and outs of a Hindu wedding.

Archie’s Poppy Uncle is marrying Miss Julie, and Archie has so much to do: She strings garlands with Dida, folds programs with her dad, and helps her mom select jewelry. Plus, she must watch her little brother, Krishna. So when Poppy Uncle asks her to help Miss Julie’s niece, Emma, feel comfortable, Archie isn’t sure she can handle it all. Miss Julie and Emma, who present white, are unfamiliar with Hindu traditions, and they both need a lot of guidance. Archie assuages Emma’s anxiety about wearing Indian clothes, steps in at the baraat when Emma and her father look lost, and answers Emma’s questions about the Sanskrit mantras the bride and groom repeat during the ceremony. Archie also consoles Miss Julie when she thinks that she’s ruined her henna. By the end of the wedding, Emma and Archie aren’t just cousins—they’re also friends. Though the two girls forge a strong bond, the relationship feels one-sided. And while the vibrant, textured illustrations and clear text provide an excellent introduction to a Hindu wedding ceremony, Archie spends most of the book making Emma and Miss Julie feel at home; many readers will be unsettled by the optics of a child of color putting her own needs aside to prioritize a white family’s comfort.

A vivid depiction of a wedding celebration that shortchanges its protagonist. (about Indian weddings, glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews