Pashmina

by Nidhi Chanani

Overview

A Junior Library Guild Selection 2017
Amazon Top Twenty Children’s Book of the Year 2017
Amazon Best Book of the month December 2017
Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017
Texas Maverick Graphic Novel 2017
Northern California Indie Bookseller Association Long-List Title

Priyanka Das has so many unanswered questions: Why did her mother abandon her home in India years ago? What was it like there? And most importantly, who is her father, and why did her mom leave him behind? But Pri’s mom avoids these questions—the topic of India is permanently closed.

For Pri, her mother's homeland can only exist in her imagination. That is, until she find a mysterious pashmina tucked away in a forgotten suitcase. When she wraps herself in it, she is transported to a place more vivid and colorful than any guidebook or Bollywood film. But is this the real India? And what is that shadow lurking in the background? To learn the truth, Pri must travel farther than she’s ever dared and find the family she never knew.

In this heartwarming graphic novel debut, Nidhi Chanani weaves a tale about the hardship and self-discovery that is born from juggling two cultures and two worlds.

This title has Common Core connections.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626720879
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	71,383
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Nidhi Chanani was born in Kolkata, India, and raised in Southern California. She holds a degree in literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She creates illustrations that capture the love in everyday moments. In 2012 she was honored at the White House as a Champion of Change for her art. Her illustrations are sold in boutiques along the West Coast and she's worked with companies like Disney and Hasbro. Nidhi lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, daughter, and two cats. Pashmina is her first graphic novel.

Editorial Reviews

Following Pri as she explores her Hindu religion and her single mother's native country of India in search of identity and meaning, Chanani masterfully turns the complex immigrant narrative into a magical and captivating work of art…This finely embroidered tale beautifully unfolds, much like the sacred pashmina. Every character, speech bubble, wordless panel and choice of color serves the story in meaningful ways. Chanani has created an immigrant narrative that is suitably complex, capable of grappling with identity, mythology and magic right alongside the practical choices girls and women face in cultures in which their oppression can be concealed by beautiful exteriors.

The New York Times Book Review - Ibi Zoboi

★ 09/18/2017
Priyanka is the teenage daughter of a single mother from Calcutta who won’t answer her questions about why she came to the U.S. or who Priyanka’s father is. “In India I would never talk this rude way to my mom,” Priyanka’s mother chastises. Mean girls make school rough; drawing is Priyanka’s only solace. A silk pashmina in her mother’s closet gives Priyanka the ability to see India, the homeland she’s never visited, in sequences that explode with vibrant color, in contrast to the dark purples Chanani uses for Priyanki’s everyday life. When she’s finally able to travel there, her aunt answers the questions that have blighted Priyanka’s relationship with her mother, and the pashmina gives her a mission. Newcomer Chanani’s figures lean toward cuteness, softening the story’s darker moments. Most impressive is the way Chanani keeps the story’s distinct and fascinating plot elements spinning. One work can’t represent a whole subcontinent, but readers will come away with a living sense of a small part of it—and characters to care about. Ages 10–14. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 09/01/2017
Gr 4–8—Priyanka is a teenage girl who loves to draw. Her mother emigrated from India years ago, leaving Pri's father behind. Pri is eager to learn about her father and her Indian heritage, but her mother refuses to discuss the subject. Then Pri finds an old pashmina in her mother's suitcase, and when she puts it on, she is magically transported to the India of her dreams. Pri is greeted by an elephant and a peacock, who offer to show her around the country. Though they provide some answers, they inspire even more questions, and Pri must figure out how and why reality and her dream world overlap. This heartwarming story about family problems and female empowerment will inspire readers to make their voices heard. Much of the artwork is reminiscent of the illustrations in Vera Brosgol's Anya's Ghost: black-and-white with clear thick lines. Whenever someone dons the pashmina, the pages are suddenly drenched in rich colors. VERDICT This dazzling blend of realistic fiction and fantasy is perfect for fans of characters who have to overcome obstacles on their way to growing up.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

2017-07-15
In this feminist graphic novel, a young woman searches for the truths of her past with the help of a long-lost aunt; Shakti, the Divine Mother Goddess; and a mysterious shawl. Indian-American teenager Priyanka "Pri" Das, a talented artist and a bit of a loner, wants to know both why her deeply religious mother left India for California so abruptly years ago and her father's whereabouts. But Pri's mother refuses to speak of India: "That subject is permanently closed." Soon, Pri discovers a mysterious pashmina tucked away in a forgotten suitcase in her Los Angeles home. When she wraps it around her shoulders, she is transported to an imagined, romanticized India—one as colorful as a Bollywood movie, in contrast to the black-and-white images of her everyday life. There, a talking elephant and bird introduce Pri (and readers) to the country's festivals, foods, and fashion, but Pri knows this isn't the "real" India. To find "her" India and uncover her mother's secrets, Pri will travel to the subcontinent, where she learns about women's choices—especially her mother's—and living without fear. While the book covers well-worn territory about bicultural and immigrant conflicts, it also dramatically explores the ways women are constrained by patriarchy. Pri is the daughter of a single mother, a family structure rarely represented in young people's literature of the South Asian diaspora. An original graphic novel, the first written and illustrated by an Indian-American creator, this is both a needed contribution and a first-rate adventure tale. (Graphic novel. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

"Chanani masterfully turns the complex immigrant narrative into a magical and captivating work of art." —New York Times

"Chanani’s debut graphic novel is a charming blend of fantasy and reality with a feminist twist." —Washington Post

"In this spectacular debut graphic novel, a young woman searches for the truths of her past." —Teen Vogue

“Colorful and deeply personal, Pashmina illuminates the experience of an Indian-American teenager and invites us to contemplate the power of our choices.” —Gene Luen Yang, national bestselling author of American Born Chinese

"Pashmina is filled to the brim with magic and heart.” —Victoria Jamieson, author or Roller Girl

"Most impressive is the way Chanani keeps the story’s distinct and fascinating plot elements spinning. One work can’t represent a whole subcontinent, but readers will come away with a living sense of a small part of it—and characters to care about." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This dazzling blend of realistic fiction and fantasy is perfect for fans of characters who have to overcome obstacles on their way to growing up." —School and Library Journal, starred review

"An original graphic novel written and illustrated by an Indian-American creator, this is both a needed contribution and a first-rate adventure tale." —Kirkus

"Chanani’s debut is a lively, engaging exploration of culture, heritage, and self-discovery." —Booklist

"Fantasy with humor and substance, this is a book for girls seeking empowerment and agency." —The Bullitin of the Center for Childrens Books

From the Publisher