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“This charming book will have children holding love in their hands; a must-have for any social-­emotional collection.”

– School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Selvanathan’s illustrations of Maya’s multicultural urban home and community have a sturdy solidity and are suffused with a golden warmth projected onto the brightly colored scenes…A beautiful book that readers will relate to and think about.”

– Booklist

Between My Hands

Written by Mitali Perkins
Illustrated by Naveen Selvanathan
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

What’s between your hands

when you namaste the world?

Maya is only three days into summer vacation and already bored. Outside her window, the street is full of neighbors. Coming and going. Earning and spending. Fixing and mending. Everyone has something to do—everyone’s hands are busy.

Except Maya’s. When she opens her palms, they are empty. They are small.

What in the world can her hands do?

As Maya longs to do something useful alongside her neighbors—proclaim truth, stand for justice, or show mercy—she discovers that children like her can give the greatest gift of all: love.

Primary ISBN: 9780374388980
Publication Date: September 2024
Available As: Hardcover, eBook
Picture Book, Age 04 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Oakland CA)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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