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CITY: Toronto
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COUNTRY: Canada
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LAST VOLUME: SATA 355
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in India; immigrated to Canada; married; children: one daughter.
EDUCATION:Bachelor’s degree; M.A. (computer science); attended Humber School for Writers.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
MEMBER:Canadian Society for Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Publishers, Writers’ Union of Canada.
WRITINGS
Contributor to periodicals, including Globe & Mail and Times of India.
SIDELIGHTS
Saumiya Balasubramaniam earned a master’s degree in computer science in her native India, but as a transplant to eastern Canada she has made her greatest contributions as a writer. A graduate of Toronto’s prestigious Humber School of Creative Writing, Balasubramaniam shares her experiences adapting to a very different climate and culture in the articles she has written for both Canadian and Indian periodicals. She accomplishes a similar feat with her debut children’s picture book, When I Found Grandma. Discussing the inspiration for her stories on the Groundwood blog, Balasubramaniam noted that “the seeds are sown in reality, but the tales that spring from them are figments of my imagination—often nurtured over an exceedingly long period of time!”
Brought to life in colorful watercolor-and-ink illustrations by Qin Leng, When I Found Grandma focuses on Maya, a young girl who experiences a mixture of excitement and curiosity when she learns that an older relative is traveling long-distance to meet her. In fact, Grandma has traveled all the way from India, and her traditional dress, unusual food preferences, and daily rituals cause the child some unease. When the older woman shows her willingness to sample American culture by wearing slacks, visiting a local carnival, and eating American food, Maya happily reciprocates and takes a first step toward understanding and appreciating her family history and culture.
Writing in Kirkus Reviews, a critic praised When I Found Grandma for pairing “Balasubramaniam’s honest first-person text and Leng’s soft line-and-color illustrations,” adding that the work addresses “the intricacies of cross-cultural and intergenerational relationship.” The author tells her story “with a light touch and a wry sense of humor,” noted Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan, and a Publishers Weekly critic praised When I Found Grandma for its “subtle, heartfelt story.” “Touching and insightful,” asserted Emma Chen in her Canadian Review of Materials appraisal, Balasubramaniam’s picture-book debut “also sends out a positive message to encourage immigrant families to embrace their cultural roots and strengthen family bonds.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 15, 2019, Carolyn Phelan, review of When I Found Grandma, p. 76.
Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2019, review of When I Found Grandma.
Publishers Weekly, April 15, 2019, review of When I Found Grandma, p. 66.
Canadian Review of Materials, November 22, 2019, Emma Chen, review of When I Found Grandma.
ONLINE
Groundwood, https://groundwoodbooks.com/ (February 27, 2019), Saumiya Balasubramaniam, “The Story behind the Story.”*
Saumiya Balasubramaniam reunites Maya and Grandma in new picture book
April 21, 2024
Arpita Ghosal
🔊 Play
Saumiya Balasubramaniam (photo courtesy of Groundwood Books)
In her newest picture book, When I Visited Grandma (Groundwood Books, 2024), Saumiya Balasubramaniam crafts a story that resonates deeply with personal experience and cultural richness. A proud Canadian author of Indian origin, Balasubramaniam espouses a unique aspiration: “I envision that all children in our world see themselves reflected in the literature of their times.”
In service of this goal, Balasubramaniam’s journey into writing children’s literature is as textured as the stories she weaves. “My curiosity about cultural and intergenerational differences among family members sparked from observing interactions between my young daughter, growing up in Canada, and my mother visiting from India,” she reveals. This curiosity first blossomed into her acclaimed and multi award-winning book When I Found Grandma. The subject’s emotional depth and resonance with readers have now led her to go deeper in When I Visited Grandma. “I felt like these characters were alive in my head, and they implored me to pay attention to their evolving relationship,” she shares.
Both books explore the special bond between Maya and her Indian grandmother, who comes to Canada to visit Maya’s family in When I Found Grandma. When I Visited Grandma originated from Balasubramaniam’s interest in exploring what happens when the geographies are reversed: “In When I Visited Grandma, Maya looks forward to her vacation in India, eager to spend time with her Grandma. However, her expectations are disrupted by a trip to a bustling, sweltering market, and the frequent interruptions from Grandma’s inquisitive and opinionated neighbors.” The narrative shifts dramatically when Maya wakes up one quiet morning to discover that her Grandma has suffered a heart attack and is now in the ICU.
Image reproduced with permission from Groundwood Books
When I Visited Grandma poignantly explores the dynamics of cross-cultural and intergenerational bonds — and the strength of love to transcend distance. A huge part of this is the illustrative magic of Kavita Ramchandran: “Kavita’s illustrations uplift the text and bring out details that are assumed, but sometimes not explicitly stated,” Balasubramaniam explains. “These emulate the setting, in a way that words cannot. At some places , the illustrations completely emote a scene of action and emotion. For instance, the last spread where Maya has opened the sweet box, and is actually enjoying the sweets.” From the steam emanating from a stainless steel tumbler of filtered coffee to the vibrant market scenes and dual language sign boards, Ramchandran’s lively illustrations enfold Balasubramaniam’s words in a visual and sensory subtext that deepens the reading experience.
To infuse her stories with authenticity. Balasubramaniam draws unabashedly from her personal life: “A good part of my personal connection with my family is in my work,” she grants. The books reflect the nuanced dynamics of her family relationships, cultural festivities, and everyday conversations, and she is passionate about embedding within her narratives a message of respect and understanding across differences – a lesson also gleaned from her own life.
Thinking back to her childhood in India in the 1980s and 1990s, Balasubramaniam shares that her favorite authors included Ruskin Bond and R.K. Narayan. She also prized Enid Blyton’s classics, especially The Famous Five and Malory Towers. However, she was keenly aware of one critical gap: “I never saw myself reflected in the books that I read in my childhood.” This dearth of representation in her formative years shaped her ambition and commitment to create literature that mirrors the diversity of readers today.
Image reproduced with permission from Groundwood Books
One question the talented Balasubramaniam seeks to answer is, “Why do I write for children?” And the answer again reflects her primary ethos: “I write for children because it is important that all children see themselves – or at least relate to — the stories they read.” In this light, Balasubramaniam’s stories are not mere tales. They are bridges connecting young readers to the diverse and changing world around them — like Maya and her family travelling to India.
In When I Visited Grandma, Balasubramaniam has crafted a moving story that reflects the tapestry of life and – she sincerely hopes – allows every child to find at least a piece of themselves within its pages.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2024
Saumiya Balasubramaniam's Beautiful New Picture Book is a Pathway to "Appreciate the Magic in the New"
DATE
November 09, 2020
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Saumiya Balasubramaniam photo by Rajni Radja
In a sea of endless Canadian snow, Ma misses the colours and warmth of home — so far away now it's hard to explain to her little girl as they walk home from school. But her daughter's joy in the cold beauty of the wintry sky, snow angels, and snowflakes caught on her tongue is eventually so boisterous it becomes the warmth that Ma needs.
Saumiya Balasubramaniam's Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White (Groundwood Books, illustrated by Eva Campbell) is a thoughtful, beautiful story about home, belonging, and love, and how they can sometimes be found in unexpected ways, and Eva Campbell's gently enchanting illustrations will transport young readers (and their grown ups) to a chilly afternoon full of wonder.
We're thrilled to welcome Saumiya, who previous books for children have garnered praise across Canada, to Open Book today as part of our Kids Club interview series. She tells us about how she hopes kids will feel empowered and valued in their reading of the story, the simple joy of physical ink on paper as part of her writing process, and the literary power of a good cup of tea.
Open Book:
Tell us about your new book and how it came to be.
Saumiya Balasubramaniam:
Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White is a gentle story of perspectives unfolding as a conversation between mother and child. When the immigrant mother misses the warmth of the country of her birth, it is the magic of the snow and practically everything in the winter landscape (as seen through her daughter’s eyes) that changes her outlook.
While the story arc, dialogues etc. are fictitious, the idea and the imagination evolved on my walk back home from school with my very young daughter.
It is always fascinating to observe, and learn how wonderfully children perceive and adapt to the same situations in a different way.
OB:
Is there a message you hope kids might take away from reading your book?
SB:
Yes, with this particular book I would like to think that kids feel empowered in the knowledge that they have the ability to enable adults to see and learn from their point of view, to know that their opinions are valued, and that hierarchy, power positions etc. does not always matter.
Also, I think that an immigrant child (and parent) is perhaps more likely to relate to the adult-child conversations and views in this story. The concept of loving and embracing a new landscape as home truly resonates.
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OB:
Is there a character in your book that you relate to? If so, in what ways are you similar to your character and in what ways are you different?
SB:
Two Drops of Brown grows from personal experience. So of course, it is the mother in the story that I relate to. She, (like me sometimes) views the winter world with a myopic lens. She too is cautious around ice, and a perhaps a bit jaded by the old to appreciate the magic in the new.
But unlike me, the mother in the story allows herself to slow down, and rejoice in the contagion of the magic spun by a young mind.
OB:
What do you need in order to write – in terms of space, food, rituals, writing instruments?
SB:
I need a pen or pencil, piece of paper (I love the simplicity in the physicality of black lead/ ink on white paper), and a quiet physical and mental space preferably very early a.m., or sometimes middle of the night
A strong cup of tea(chai) is always helpful.
OB:
How do you cope with setbacks or tough points during the writing process? Do you have any strategies that are your go-to responses to difficult points in the process?
SB:
A particular tough point for me is to write/arrive at that subtle moment of denouement that sparks the heart of the story.
I have never consciously worked at a plan or a strategy, but what I find effective is a long break from what I am working on, and revisiting the story after a significant period of time.
A possible downside to this approach is that the entire process may take too long, which means that from the time I start to write the first draft to the time I feel contended to send it out, a good deal of life has passed by. But I am okay with that.
Sometimes critique sessions (In conferences etc.) are useful. On occasions, I have shared original second, or third drafts with a writer friend.
Different perspective/fresh ideas as viewed from a third person’s point of view can sometimes be helpful.
OB:
What's your favourite part of the life cycle of a book? The inspiration, writing the first draft, revision, the editorial relationship, promotion and discussing the book, or something else altogether? What's the toughest part?
SB:
The favourite part for me is that first strike of inspiration or an idea when it appears quite suddenly, and then of course the writing the first draft. I also enjoy the multiple revisions over time.
Recently I have begun to appreciate the complete re-writing of the story. The possibility of a creating a good book from a seed of an idea comes alive only through the process of revision/re-writes, working up to final draft.
The toughest part is determining for myself that the draft is indeed final, and that it cannot be improved any further.
OB:
What are you working on now?
SB:
I have an interesting idea for a picture book sequel to When I Found Grandma.
_____________________________________
Saumiya Balasubramaniam’s debut picture book, When I Found Grandma, illustrated by Qin Leng, was featured in the Globe and Mail (“Seven books to help kids make sense of the world”) and by the CBC (“Kids books to look for in 2019”). It was described by Publishers Weekly as a “subtle, heartfelt story.” Saumiya lives in Toronto.
Balasubramaniam, Saumiya TWO DROPS OF BROWN IN A CLOUD OF WHITE Groundwood (Children's None) $18.95 11, 3 ISBN: 978-1-77306-258-7
On a snowy December day in Canada, a little brown-skinned girl and her mother walk home through the slush.
But while the little girl delights in the snow, her mother misses the color and heat of warmer seasons. The young protagonist tries to inspire her mother to see beauty in the frozen landscape, but Ma says that she misses the vibrant greens of her home; the protagonist counters that this snowy landscape is their new, shared home. In the end, the mother doesn’t quite change her mind but is able to see snow as more than just a nuisance. While the book is well-intentioned and, at times, poetic, the lack of detail about the girl and her mother render the storyline unsatisfying. With the help of Campbell’s soft, muted paintings, the author implies that the mother is from a tropical place but never specifies where, nor do readers learn whether the daughter has any knowledge of or love for it. Furthermore, the characters’ relationships with snow appear to be a metaphor for the daughter’s comfort in Canada and the mother’s homesickness for her native place. This opens the door to a false binary implying that immigrants either fully assimilate or never let go of their homeland. Additionally, the tension established by this analogy is never fully resolved, the plot failing to allow for a change in either character. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.8-by-17.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
This beautifully illustrated picture book oversimplifies the immigrant experience. (Picture book 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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Source Citation
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"Balasubramaniam, Saumiya: TWO DROPS OF BROWN IN A CLOUD OF WHITE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A636727019/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=777171ca. Accessed 2 May 2024.
Balasubramaniam, Saumiya WHEN I VISITED GRANDMA Groundwood (Children's None) $19.99 4, 2 ISBN: 9781773068336
A child of South Asian descent weathers a complicated visit to India.
Maya's thrilled to be visiting her grandmother with her parents. Soon after they arrive, Maya and Grandma leave for the market, but Maya's first morning is challenging. Just as Grandma has predicted, people stare at Maya's ripped jeans, and she's overwhelmed by the heat and noise of the market. The pair arrive home late after talking "with all of Grandma's nosy neighbors," only to accept another steady stream of visitors. When Maya escapes to her room, she overhears her grandmother making excuses for her absence. She doesn't have time to dissect these feelings, though, because the next day her grandmother is admitted into the ICU after having a heart attack. On the way to the hospital, Maya asks her parents to stop at the market so she can pick up coconut water--her grandmother's favorite. But when they miss visiting hours at the hospital, Maya wonders when she'll see Grandma again. This compassionate portrayal of the challenges of adjusting to a new country while also dealing with a relative enduring illness is a refreshing take on stories about returning to a homeland. The first-person narratorial voice makes for an intimate read, while the collagelike illustrations, which pop with color and feature signs in Kannada script, are beautifully detailed.
A nuanced, insightful look at what it means to have family overseas. (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Balasubramaniam, Saumiya: WHEN I VISITED GRANDMA." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784238378/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=66f7b271. Accessed 2 May 2024.