What Will My Story Be?

by Nidhi Chanani

Overview

From the creator of the critically acclaimed graphic novel Pashmina, comes a new picture book that encourages kids to be their most creative selves and to imagine all the places that their stories can take them.

After spending an afternoon listening to her aunties tell her stories from their pasts, a young girl ruminates on all of the tales that she can create using her imagination and begins to feel as if the possibilities for her future are endless. Filled with Nidhi Chanani's signature vibrant illustrations, What Will My Story Be? is for anyone who finds inspiration in the quiet moments and cherishes the wisdom of the generations that came before them. Perfect for fans of Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal, Drawn Together by Minh Le and Dan Santat, and You Matter by Christian Robinson.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593205068
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	11/30/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.88(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.36(d)
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Nidhi Chanani likes to dream kind and creative dreams. She's the author of the graphic novel Pashmina and the bilingual board book Shubh Raatri Dost/Good Night Friend, as well as the illustrator of the picture book I Will Be Fierce. Nidhi draws and dreams in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, child, and cat. Find more of her work at everydayloveart.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for What Will My Story Be? by Nidhi Chanani:

"Text is lyrical, whimsical, and inspiring, the vision of interweaving individual and collective stories both accessible and heartwarming. The illustrations of the brown-skinned protagonist and racially diverse aunties are gentle and playful. Wisely counsels looking to our past to find our future." —Kirkus Reviews

"The art is vibrant, whimsical, and sure to draw in readers . . . Chanani has created an ode to the families we choose."  —School Library Journal

Praise and Accolades for Nidhi Chanani:

Pashmina (2017)

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

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

"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 of Roller Girl

I Will Be Fierce, written by Bea Birdsong and illustrated by Nidhi Chanani (2019):

A 2020 Southern Book Prize Finalist

"A multicultural girl-power manifesto . . . Birdsong's repeated refrain underlines the unambiguous message of this sassy picture book, and Chanani's bold and energetic illustrations reinforce the text's punchy, feminist-y declarations. . . the book will find repeated use in the classroom." --Kirkus Reviews

"Readers will smile at the charming and clever interplay between the words and pictures, and even younger audiences will understand the subtext: Being fierce means being kind to others and finding joy. The bright, expressive illustrations are full of movement, giving purpose to the girl's adventure." --Booklist

"A simple, empowering tale that encourages children to be the heroes of their own stories. An engaging choice for storytime or one-on-one sharing." --School Library Journal

From the Publisher

09/01/2021

PreS-Gr 2—In her debut picture book, Chanani (author of the graphic novel Pashmina) has created a delightful tribute to the important role aunties play in loving and inspiring children. Listening to the stories her three diverse aunties tell about their lives and experiences, a young brown-skinned girl with a mass of dark curls dreams about what stories her life will inspire and imagines what her future could hold. Throughout the various scenarios, her aunties are by her side—playing, encouraging, and listening. The art is vibrant, whimsical, and sure to draw in readers. With one or two sentences per page, the book can easily sustain a child's attention, particularly in read-aloud settings. Sometimes quirky and funny, such as a scene of pantless animal pirates that is bound to elicit giggles, the book is mostly sweet. However, in something of a mixed message, one spread about teaching dragons to speak seems odd when juxtaposed with an earlier scene of the girl's aunties learning English. VERDICT Chanani has created an ode to the families we choose that mostly hits the mark.—Monisha Blair, Glasgow M. S., Alexandria, VA

School Library Journal

2021-08-11
In a starlit room, an unnamed protagonist listens to her aunties tell stories.

The female elders tell tales of immigration, multilingualism, and change. The protagonist soaks the stories up, completely rapt. Every word her aunties say feels “steeped in love and lore.” The more she listens, the more she wants to tell her own story. But how will she know what her story will be? Soon, her imagination takes flight. Will her story be about sailing away with pirates who have forgotten their trousers? Or will her story be about teaching magical creatures their alphabets? She wonders if she will become an explorer. When her aunties hear that she is trying to tell her story, they encourage her to find her own voice. That is when the protagonist realizes that her story is more than just her present and future: It is also her past, including all the memories and adventures and histories she’s inherited from women like her aunties. By the end of the book, the narrator still isn’t sure what her story will be, but—with the help of her aunties—she is excited to find out. The book’s text is lyrical, whimsical, and inspiring, the vision of interweaving individual and collective stories both accessible and heartwarming. The illustrations of the brown-skinned protagonist and racially diverse aunties are gentle and playful. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Wisely counsels looking to our past to find our future. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews