'Laxmi's Mooch'
VIEW EVENT DETAILSBy Shelly Anand, Illustrated By Nabi H. Ali
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A joyful, body-positive picture book about a young Indian American girl’s journey to accept her body hair and celebrate her heritage after being teased about her mustache. Laxmi never paid much attention to the tiny hairs above her lip. But one day while playing farm animals at recess, her friends point out that her whiskers would make her the perfect cat. She starts to notice body hair all over–on her arms, legs, and even between her eyebrows. With her parents’ help, Laxmi learns that hair isn’t just for heads, but that it grows everywhere, regardless of gender. Featuring affirming text by Shelly Anand and exuberant, endearing illustrations by Nabi H. Ali, Laxmi’s Mooch is a celebration of our bodies and our body hair, in whichever way they grow.
Speakers
Shelly Anand is the author of Laxmi's Mooch, a picture book about a young Indian American girl’s journey to accept her body hair and celebrate her heritage after being teased about her mustache. Her second picture book, I Love My Body Because is co-authored by Nomi Ellenson and is set for release by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in the Summer of 2022. Shelly is a human and civil rights attorney in Atlanta fighting for immigrants and low-income workers from marginalized communities. She lives with her husband and two small children.
Nabi H. Ali is a Tamil-American illustrator who enjoys creating diverse works that showcase an array of cultures and people. His interest in illustration started when he realized he could help create representation in the arts and in media for minorities. He is very passionate about working with characters that he wishes he had seen in books when he was a child. He has worked for studios like Wild Canary Animation as a freelance character designer. Usually, he illustrates digitally, but he also has a secret love of inks, color pencil, and acrylic paints. His favorite thing about art is experimenting with color and what the right colors can do to make a piece magical. His hobbies include doll collecting, reading, learning about South Asian mythology and folklore.