Title: The Light Within You
Author: Namita Moolani Mehra (Author), Kamala Nair (Illustrator)
Published: September 26, 2023
Genre: Children's Literature
Summary: (From amazon) -
A celebration of family love and the light we share with the world.
Diya is excited to be going to India for Diwali, the Festival of Lights. That means she’ll get to spend time with Nani, her beloved grandma, who she hasn’t seen since her family moved from India. Now India is 7,850 miles away…
Once Diya arrives in India, she immediately feels at home with Nani. Together they go shopping at the bazaar and prepa
re for the festival. As Diya and Nani celebrate Diwali together, Diya’s heart soars. But all too soon, her trip will come to an end. Is there a way for Diya to take some of the light and magic of Diwali with her when she leaves?
Review: The main character, Diya, moves to a new school and talks about how it's hard for her to fit in there. She had used to live in a different place and moved- now she is in a new school where she feels like no one looks like her or can relate to her. There was a time that she was able to go back home and visit her grandma and her grandma was able to ground her and remind her of her light.The grandma reminded her that there is an inner light that shines and that's what people like you for not what you look like on the outside. I definitely recommend this book to anyone in the elementary school level. Especially, for a student who maybe new to a school district or even new to the country. When I taught in Syracuse city, I had children from multiple countries and some of them felt out of place. This book would make the students feel comfortable and give them something to relate to. It would also open up some talking points to explain that they have an inner light within them and that is what peers will recognize you for. This is a very easy read- the illustrations are fun and overall the book meets standards for each category in the rating card.
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