January 30, 2020 (New York, NY) — As teachers and students across the country prepare for World Read Aloud Day next week on February 5, 2020, the Sikh Coalition is excited to highlight two books that would be perfect for your child’s classroom and feature Sikh characters.
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh, written by Supriya Kelkar, illustrated by Alea Marley, and with an afterword by Simran Jeet Singh, tells the story of a boy named Harpreet Singh. Harpreet is a cheerful boy who loves to express himself through colors–until he moves to a new school and feels isolated, wanting nothing more than to blend in. Ultimately, Harpreet gets back to his true self through a heartwarming new friendship with a girl named Abby.
Super Satya Saves the Day, written by Raakhee Mirchandani and illustrated by Tim Palin, centers on a girl named Satya. Satya is a fearless girl with big plans for exciting adventures, but she is left afraid one day when her superheroine’s cape is stuck at the dry-cleaners. Through the story, she learns that true courage and confidence come from who she is on the inside.
“Children’s stories with strong messages about kindness and confidence are critically important,” said Pritpal Kaur, Sikh Coalition Education Director. “Equally so, however, is to ensure that our children see themselves reflected in the stories they hear. The visibility from books like The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh or Super Satya Saves the Day benefits not just Sikh children, but their classmates as well.”
The Sikh Coalition encourages all parents of elementary school-aged children to reach out to their teachers and suggest The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh or Super Satya Saves the Day as books to read aloud in class, whether for World Read Aloud Day or at a later time. Ms. Kelkar and Ms. Mirchandani have both also offered to do Skype visits to read their books aloud to classrooms; if you know of a classroom that might be interested, please have the teacher or librarian email the request to supriyakelkarbooks@gmail.com or raakhee.mirchandani@gmail.com respectively to reach them. As a reminder, you can also find a range of additional resources for introducing Sikhi to your young children’s educators on our website.
As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.