Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps
Written by Srividhya Venkat
Illustrated by Kavita Ramchandran
Published by Yali Books
On Sundays, Varun has his karate lesson, and his sister Varsha heads to dance school with their grandfather. One weekend, Varun reluctantly accompanies his sister to her lesson. Bored of waiting, he peeks into the classroom, and almost immediately, he is fascinated by the rhythm and grace of bharatanatyam, a dance from India that Varsha is learning to perfect. Varun tries a few moves at home in secret because…well, boys don’t dance, do they? His grandfather is not so sure. Will Thatha be able to convince Varun to dance in his footsteps?
A heartwarming picture book about a multigenerational Indian-American family discovering a shared love for bharatanatyam, an ancient classical dance that continues to fascinate dancers worldwide.
Primary ISBN: 9781949528909
Publication Date: June 2021
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Picture Book, Age 04 or older
Community Represented: Indian/Indian American
Themes: Accolades & Awards, Arts, Cultural Empowerment, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Celebrations & Traditions, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Family, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Storytelling, Discrimination: Gender and Sexual, Family Relationship: Grandparents, Family Relationship: Siblings, Generation: 2nd, Generational Differences: Gender Roles, Multilingual: Tamil Featured Words, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Religious Background: Hindu
Setting: United States (New York City NY)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 2nd Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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Source: Yali Books