Nadia’s Hands
Written by Karen English
Illustrated by Jonathan Weiner
Published by Boyds Mills Press
Saturday is Auntie Laila’s wedding day and Nadia has been chosen as flower girl. The morning of the ceremony, Auntie Amina prepares Nadia’s hands in the traditional way. Using henna, a natural dye, she creates intricate designs, called mehndi, on Nadia’s hands. But Nadia is worried. Mehndi lasts a long time and doesn’t wash off right away. When she goes to school on Monday, what will her classmates think of her hands? Will they understand that mehndi is part of her Pakistani heritage? By the afternoon, Nadia is swept up in the excitement of the wedding. Now she can’t wait till Monday, when she can share her hands from Pakistan: with the kids at school. Karen English’s loving story of a Pakistani American girl, who comes to an understanding of the rich culture she has inherited, is vividly illustrated by Jonathan Weiner.
Primary ISBN:
Available As: Paperback
Picture Book, Age 06 or older
Community Represented: Muslim/Muslim American, Pakistani/Pakistani American
Themes: Celebrations, Multiracial Identity
Setting: United States
Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: 1st Generation
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