Contemporary Authors

• (And illustrator) Pashmina ( graphic novel) First Second (New York, NY), 2017

1. Pashmina LCCN 2016961589 Type of material Book Personal name Chanani, Nidhi. Main title Pashmina / Nidhi Chanani (author and illus). Edition 1st edition. Published/Produced New York, NY : First Second, 2017. Projected pub date 1710 Description pages cm ISBN 9781626720879 (pbk.) 9781626720886 (hardcover)

• Everyday Love Art - https://everydayloveart.com/bio/

  Everyday Love is the art of Nidhi Chanani.
  Nidhi Chanani is a freelance illustrator, cartoonist and writer. She is the owner of Everyday Love Art. Her debut graphic novel, Pashmina, was released by First Second Books in October 2017. It received starred reviews in the School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and was reviewed in the New York Times. She illustrated Misty – The Proud Cloud, a children’s book by Hugh Howey. She is an instructor in the Master of Fine Arts, Comics program at the California College of Arts. She is currently working on her second graphic novel, Jukebox, with her husband Nick Giordano.

  Nidhi was born in Calcutta and raised in suburban southern California. She holds a degree in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She creates because it makes her happy – with the hope that it can make others happy, too. In April of 2012 she was honored by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change.

  Her media appearances include CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and BBC Radio. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, the Women’s March, My Modern Met, Bored Panda and India Times. Nidhi has worked with Disney, ABC, Airbnb, Sony, Microsoft, State Farm Insurance and a variety of other clients. Her non-fiction comics have appeared in the Nib. Everyday Love Art products are sold in retail shops across the country, including the San Francisco International Airport, Books Inc., and Therapy stores.

  Nidhi draws and dreams every day with her husband, daughter and their two cats in the San Francisco Bay Area.

  Questions? Read our FAQs.

  Interested in a custom illustration? Read more.

  Would you like to get in touch? Contact us.

  Meet Nick (aka Nidhi’s hubbahubba)
  Nick currently works full-time for a health tech firm and enjoys supporting Everyday Love Art on his off hours.

  Role: Part time tech support, office DJ, cat bed, and exhibition support.

  Fave place in San Francisco: AT&T park when the giants are playing or at home listening to vinyl.

  How do you add love to your everyday: I cuddle with Nidhi and kitties.

  If you were an animal: A bear because I would love to hibernate (with penguins).

  Meet Nickole
  Nickole is a recent graduate from University of California Davis with a bachelor’s degree in Art Studio. What Nickole loves about art is that it can be a personal outlet as well as a way to communicate and connect with others.

  Role: Organizing office space, maintaining supplies, preparing for shows, sales associate, customer service, shipping and handling merchandise, and occasional cat feeder

  Fave place in San Francisco: The lovely Yerba Buena Gardens because it’s peaceful and has great artwork

  How do you add love to your everyday: Spending quality time with those that make me happy 🙂

  If you were an animal: A mix of a Pegasus and a unicorn…and a sloth… and an alpaca… and a cat…In other words, a Pegaunilothacat

  Find Nickole’s art on Instagram

• Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidhi_Chanani

  Nidhi Chanani
  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  Chanani in July 2017
  Nidhi Chanani (1980) is an Indian-American illustrator and artist born in Kolkatta, India, and raised in California.[1] She currently works and resides in San Francisco, California with her family. Her Every Day Love series captures small moments from every day life in a whimsical manner.

  Contents
  1 Early life
  2 Career
  3 Technique and materials
  4 Awards
  5 Personal life
  6 References
  7 External links
  Early life
  Nidhi Chanani was raised in Southern California. After receiving a degree in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.[2]

  Career
  Chanani worked at non-profit organizations before entering the comics field.[2][3] In addition to taking art classes, she briefly attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.[4] She often features local Bay area back drops, as well as images derived from her Indian heritage. She explains, "I grew up watching Bollywood films on the weekends, eating Indian breakfasts, and spending time with my Indian family. It didn’t ever feel like because I didn’t live in India, India didn’t live in me. Even if I don’t draw something Indian per se, something about my “Indian-ness” will come through whether I make the characters brown or pick a setting reminiscent of India. There is something about who I am in everything that I do. And who I am is Indian. I don’t think that is ever removable from what I do."[4]

  In April 2012 she was honored at the White House as a Champion of Change.[2]

  She worked as a concept artist for the 2011 Australian film, Hannah and the Hasbian.

  She has also worked with Hasbro, Paramount Pictures and Disney.[2]

  She has published Pashmina a graphic novel in 2017 , about first-generation immigrants who find their place in America. Pashima was selected as a Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2017 by the Chicago Public Library.[5]

  Technique and materials
  Chanani creates her art using digital media, wood burning, and watercolors. She notes what she uses for tools, "For my illustrations I use flash and photoshop with a heavy dose of brushes and textures I've created. For my wood burnings I use raw wood and a professional wood burning pen."[6]

  Awards
  2012 White House Champion of Change[7]

• Kids Reads - https://www.kidsreads.com/authors/nidhi-chanani

  Biography
  Nidhi Chanani
  Nidhi Chanani was born in Kolkata, India, and raised in Southern California. She holds a degree in literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She creates illustrations that capture the love in everyday moments. In 2012, she was honored at the White House as a Champion of Change for her art. Her illustrations are sold in boutiques along the West Coast and she's worked with companies like Disney and Hasbro. Nidhi lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, daughter, and two cats. PASHMINA is her first graphic novel.

• Electric Literature - https://electricliterature.com/nidhi-chananis-graphic-novel-pashmina-is-part-of-an-important-new-genre-e5f698636c3c

  Nidhi Chanani’s Graphic Novel ‘Pashmina’ Is Part of an Important New Genre
  Comics and coming-of-age novels are a perfect match, especially for underrepresented voices

  (Color and B/W spread from Nidhi Chanani’s “Pashmina” published by First Second, an imprint of Macmillan)

  I t was only as recently as 2006 that Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese became the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award. That book, about a Chinese American boy’s struggles with his identity, drew comics for young people from the the fringes to the mainstream.

  A little over a decade later, Vulture declared graphic novels for young readers to be the “most important sector in the world of sequential art.” Graphic novels and memoirs, particularly those created by women, tap into the power and options in the combination of visual and written stimulation to relay stories across genres and ages.

  My own graphic novel consumption has increased to include titles such as This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and illustrated by Adrian Alphona, The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui, and excerpts of Mira Jacob’s forthcoming graphic novel, Good Talk: Conversations I’m Still Confused About. I grew up reading comics — from Archie to Amar Chitra Katha — but today’s graphic novels mean so much more, especially those by marginalized women. As cliché as it sounds, it’s validating to see women like me in comic panels.

  The latest addition to the canon of sequential art books — and specifically the subset that is written and/or illustrated by people of color and indigenous people — is Pashmina (First Second, 2017) by cartoonist Nidhi Chanani.

  Pashmina is an unabashedly feminist tale about Priyanka “Pri” Das, a comics-obsessed teenager in Orange County, California. It features her mother, who won’t speak of Pri’s father or India, the country her mother left and has vowed never to return to; Shakti, the powerful Hindu mother goddess; and a mysterious shawl that transports Pri to the India of her imagination when she wraps it around her shoulders.

  Chanani’s illustrations dramatically alternate between black-and-white (when Pri is in the United States) and full-throttle color (when Pri is in India). In the course of this first-rate adventure tale, Pri learns about women’s choices — especially her mother’s — and living without fear. I talked to Chanani about magical realism, South Asian families, and how Pashmina came to be.

  Pooja Makhijani: You are well-known for your short strips, yet this is your first full-length novel. In the course of writing and illustrating this book, what did you learn about sustaining plot and character?

  Nidhi Chanani: On one hand, I learned things around the art — and how to keep the character consistent page after page. I also learned a lot about body language and positioning to convey emotions. In the place of words, I utilized facial expressions and positioning to give the reader insight into my characters’ emotions.

  On the story side, I learned to know my characters. It sounds simple but writing a lot about Priyanka, her mom, and her uncle allowed me to fully realize them on the page. The reader may never know that Priyanka hates bubble gum, for example, but I do, and that makes her grounded in reality.

  And finally, throughout the process, I learned how to parse out information: to utilize the “page turn” to keep revealing parts of the story in pieces, to keep the reader engaged in Priyanka’s journey.

  (“Pashmina” by Nidhi Chanani)
  PM: Pashmina explores the ways women are constrained by patriarchy. Why is this story about the intersection of power, community and identity best told in comic form?

  NC: I think the question sometimes presumes that comics is better than other mediums. But it’s simply another medium to me. I do believe it has merits that are different than others. I believe there are access points to comics that traditional prose cannot touch.

  I don’t limit myself to comics. I want to explore all mediums. And within anything, I do want to challenge things and hopefully create dialogue and a narrative that goes beyond the page.

  PM: Priyanka is the daughter of a single mother, a family structure rarely represented in young people’s literature of the South Asian diaspora. Why was this representation important to you?

  NC: There are family dynamics that are rarely seen from many communities — including ours. I wanted to work within a story that isn’t often seen but is still relatable.

  Although I grew up in your traditional Indian family (mother, father, sibling), we had tons of problems. Those problems, as much as we tried to hide them from our community, came to define us. My mom eventually left my dad.

  She was ostracized from the Indian community.

  I saw what a difficult time my mom had to move within our community without support. In an instance it’s a triumph for women to stand up for themselves, but the community does not support moving past the traditional roles. It adds another challenge.

  I wanted to explore what having a single mom from the beginning would mean for Priyanka. To have that as a norm within her life, but to have unanswered questions. I feel that she had respect for her mother, while also not completely understanding her. Then through the book, she gains the understanding she was missing.

  The Best of This Year’s Small-Press Comics

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  PM: Priyanka’s “India” is one of monkeys and elephants and other such touristic images of India, yet you are subverting these familiar visual tropes so that they no longer reinforce stereotypes. What was your intention in representing India in this way on the page?

  NC: To put it quite simply, I wanted Priyanka, a teen who’s curious about her culture but not versed in it, to have a positive introduction to India.

  I wanted her to be drawn into the amazing aspects of India, but to also indicate that there’s more. In many ways, Priyanka’s relationship with the fantasy India is one that many people have. I wanted to mimic that, while also giving context to why later, she chooses to visit the real India. My attempt to represent it in parts had to pay respect to that truth.

  PM: There is an element of magical realism in Pashmina and, in those magical realist panels, the palate switches from black-and-white to color. Can you talk about this artistic choice a bit?

  NC: I love India, and I wanted to represent India in the way I eventually came to imagine it. I also wanted to fully utilize the medium of comics.

  I could’ve done the whole book in full color — which is great and those books are very welcoming to readers. But it was very early on that I wanted to add more impact to Priyanka’s story. In a visual medium, the use of color is powerful. It’s one that I feel I know and understand well, so adding another layer to the story through color — and the absence of — provided for a richness that I feel is the strength of telling this story through comics.

  I love India, and I wanted to represent India in the way I eventually came to imagine it. I also wanted to fully utilize the medium of comics.
  PM: Pashmina also contains a lot of religious iconography — the divine mother goddess figure.Where does your interest in this stem from? Are you a spiritual or faithful person?

  NC: I was raised Hindu and I describe myself as a lapsed Hindu. I find that even though I don’t practice Hinduism, I have aspects of its spirituality in my life. I was very much like Priyanka growing up, where I dragged my feet at prayer time and questioned whether it made a difference.

  Beyond my own interests, I felt that the pashmina had its own story to tell. And Shakti had a pressing need to connect with women. Who better to tell that story than her?

  (Nidhi Chanani, Photo Credit: Angela Grammatas)
  As much as there are religious components to Pashmina, I don’t think of that first. I really think of it as a feminist story, and I believe gods and goddesses are feminists.

  PM: MacArthur Fellow and National Book Award finalist Gene Luen Yang introduced Pashmina as the first graphic novel wholly created (written and illustrated) by an Indian American. Did you write Pashmina with this awareness? How does that label — “first” — make you feel?

  NC: Oh man! Yes, I was aware of that fact. I was aware of it as I wrote and drew every panel.

  I was aware of it when I chose to add Hindi into the text and refused to add asterisks within the pages. (My publisher, to their credit, never asked me to). I was aware of it when I chose how to represent India, Kolkata and every character.

  I stressed about all of it, honestly.

  But in my best moments of writing and drawing, I forgot that I was a “first” anything. I just approached it as my story. My chance to write and create the best story I could.

  I think firsts are hard, but important. All I can hope is that Pashmina does well enough to pave the way for more Indian American graphic novels and comics. The responsibility is not one I asked for, but given that seat, I know that how I perform and how my book performs will impact others. I do my best to be intentional and aware.

• Comic Con - https://www.comic-con.org/wca/2018/special-guests/nidhi-chanani

  Nidhi Chanani
  Nidhi Chanani at WonderCon Anaheim 2018, March 23–25 at the Anaheim Convention Center

  Nidhi
  Chanani
  Writer, artist, Pashmina

  Nidhi Chanani was born in Kolkata, India, and raised in Southern California. She holds a degree in literature from the University of California Santa Cruz. She creates illustrations that capture the love in everyday moments. In 2012 she was honored at the White House as a Champion of Change for her art. Her illustrations are sold in boutiques along the West Coast and she's worked with companies like Disney and Hasbro. Nidhi lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, daughter, and two cats. Pashmina is her debut graphic novel, and it is currently available from First Second.

• My Modern Met - https://mymodernmet.com/nidhi-chanani-everyday-love/

  Simple Illustrations Reveal Endearing Moments of Love in Life’s Everyday Moments
  By Sara Barnes on October 10, 2015

  Being in love with someone is more than just grand romantic gestures and celebrating milestones–it's about the little moments, too. Illustrator Nidhi Chanani captures these small occasions in her endearing ongoing series titled Everyday Love. The charming images demonstrate that it's the ordinary things that bring us closer to our partner, like cooking together, enjoying the sunset, and, of course, laughter. Each illustration acts as a reminder to appreciate all of them.

  Chanani's illustrations are inspired by her relationship with her own husband, and often reflect a dream they've discussed or a memory they share. “My work is drawn from my perspective,” she told The Huffington Post. Even though it's somewhat autobiographical, inclusivity is important to Chanani. She explained, “I'm a brown woman in love with a white man. I also draw gay couples. I make an effort to show the love of mixed race couples and diverse relationships.”

  Chanani is currently working on her debut graphic novel, Pashmina, which will be released in 2016.

• Hugh Howey - http://www.hughhowey.com/the-art-of-nidhi-chanani/

  The Art of Nidhi Chanani
  March 24, 2014 by Hugh Howey

  Love

  Six years ago, my two awesome nieces invited me to play a game with them. We were at my dad’s farm in North Carolina, and my father and stepmom were huddled with Jordan and Catherine on the sofa. They were taking turns telling stories, and I was asked to come up with something.

  Not knowing the rules, I made up a story about a cloud named Misty. What I was supposed to do is tell a story about something that had really happened to me recently. As I watched how it was done, this forgotten little tell about a little cloud began to coalesce in my mind. I thought that if I had any sort of artistic talent, it might make for a cool children’s book.

  Six years later, I decided to turn that story into an actual book. I started looking for an artist, and when I saw Nidhi Chanani’s website, she became my top pick. I just wasn’t sure if I could get her onboard. Today, I can announce that Nidhi is starting sketches, and Misty — The Proud Cloud is going to be a reality.

  To see more of Nidhi’s work, check out her gallery. Swoon-worthy art. More soon!

Print Marked Items
Pashmina
Publishers Weekly.
264.49-50 (Dec. 4, 2017): pS90+.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text: 
Pashmina
Nidhi Chanani. First Second, $16.99 ISBN 978-1-62672-087-9
Priyanka is the teenage daughter of a single mother from Calcutta who won't answer her questions about
why she came to the U.S. or who Priyanka's father is. "In India I would never talk this rude way to my
mom," Priyanka's mother chastises. Mean girls make school rough; drawing is Priyanka's only solace. A silk
pashmina in her mother's closet gives Priyanka the ability to see India, the homeland she's never visited, in
sequences that explode with vibrant color, in contrast to the dark purples Chanani uses for Priyanki's
everyday life. When she's finally able to travel there, her aunt answers the questions that have blighted
Priyanka's relationship with her mother, and the pashmina gives her a mission. Newcomer Chanani's figures
lean toward cuteness, softening the story's darker moments. Most impressive is the way Chanani keeps the
story's distinct and fascinating plot elements spinning. One work can't represent a whole subcontinent, but
readers will come away with a living sense of a small part of it--and characters to care about. Ages 10-14.
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Pashmina." Publishers Weekly, 4 Dec. 2017, p. S90+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A518029851/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=2b68afba.
Accessed 26 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A518029851
Pashmina
Sarah Hunter
Booklist.
114.4 (Oct. 15, 2017): p34.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text: 
Pashmina. By Nidhi Chanani. Illus. by the author. Oct. 2017.176p. First Second, $16.99 (9781626720879).
741.5. Gr. 6-10.
Priyanka is deeply curious about her mother's past in India, but she won't tell her daughter anything, not
even Pri's father's name. Meanwhile, Pri finds a beautifully embroidered pashmina hidden in a closet, and
when she puts it on, she's transported to a fantastical version of India, full of colorful scenes, magical
creatures, and delicious food, which only amplifies her desire to visit the country. A family crisis causes her
mother to reconsider her stance, and soon Pri embarks on the journey she's been dreaming about. Yet when
she arrives in India, it's nothing like the visions the pashmina has offered, but tracking down the garment's
origin helps illuminate both Pri's relationship to India and her better grasp of her mother's perspective.
Chanani's stylized cartoons shift from a palette of gray, black, and white when depicting Pri's life in
California to bold, vibrant color when the pashmina transports its wearer to a fantastical reality. Although
some plot mechanics are a litde murky, Chanani's debut is a lively, engaging exploration of culture, heritage,
and self-discovery.--Sarah Hunter
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Hunter, Sarah. "Pashmina." Booklist, 15 Oct. 2017, p. 34. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A512776142/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=444d0229.
Accessed 26 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A512776142
Chanani, Nidhi: PASHMINA
Kirkus Reviews.
(Aug. 1, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text: 
Chanani, Nidhi PASHMINA First Second (Children's Fiction) $16.99 10, 3 ISBN: 978-1-62672-087-9
In this feminist graphic novel, a young woman searches for the truths of her past with the help of a long-lost
aunt; Shakti, the Divine Mother Goddess; and a mysterious shawl. Indian-American teenager Priyanka "Pri"
Das, a talented artist and a bit of a loner, wants to know both why her deeply religious mother left India for
California so abruptly years ago and her father's whereabouts. But Pri's mother refuses to speak of India:
"That subject is permanently closed." Soon, Pri discovers a mysterious pashmina tucked away in a forgotten
suitcase in her Los Angeles home. When she wraps it around her shoulders, she is transported to an
imagined, romanticized India--one as colorful as a Bollywood movie, in contrast to the black-and-white
images of her everyday life. There, a talking elephant and bird introduce Pri (and readers) to the country's
festivals, foods, and fashion, but Pri knows this isn't the "real" India. To find "her" India and uncover her
mother's secrets, Pri will travel to the subcontinent, where she learns about women's choices--especially her
mother's--and living without fear. While the book covers well-worn territory about bicultural and immigrant
conflicts, it also dramatically explores the ways women are constrained by patriarchy. Pri is the daughter of
a single mother, a family structure rarely represented in young people's literature of the South Asian
diaspora. An original graphic novel, the first written and illustrated by an Indian-American creator, this is
both a needed contribution and a first-rate adventure tale. (Graphic novel. 10-14)
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Chanani, Nidhi: PASHMINA." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A499572658/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b6a10d4f.
Accessed 26 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A499572658

"Pashmina." Publishers Weekly, 4 Dec. 2017, p. S90+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A518029851/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 26 Apr. 2018. Hunter, Sarah. "Pashmina." Booklist, 15 Oct. 2017, p. 34. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A512776142/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 26 Apr. 2018. "Chanani, Nidhi: PASHMINA." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A499572658/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 26 Apr. 2018.

• School Library Journal
  http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2017/11/book-review-pashmina-by-nidhi-chanani/
  Word count: 461

  Book Review: Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
  NOVEMBER 9, 2017 BY AMANDA MACGREGOR LEAVE A COMMENT
  Publisher’s description
  pashminaPriyanka Das has so many unanswered questions: Why did her mother abandon her home in India years ago? What was it like there? And most importantly, who is her father, and why did her mom leave him behind? But Pri’s mom avoids these questions—the topic of India is permanently closed.

  For Pri, her mother’s homeland can only exist in her imagination. That is, until she find a mysterious pashmina tucked away in a forgotten suitcase. When she wraps herself in it, she is transported to a place more vivid and colorful than any guidebook or Bollywood film. But is this the real India? And what is that shadow lurking in the background? To learn the truth, Pri must travel farther than she’s ever dared and find the family she never knew.

  In this heartwarming graphic novel debut, Nidhi Chanani weaves a tale about the hardship and self-discovery that is born from juggling two cultures and two worlds.

  Amanda’s thoughts
  This had been on my TBR since I first saw it and then I bumped it up when I started looking for books to read with the fifth grade girls’ book club, as many of the girls are Indian-American. I absolutely loved this book. Priyanka, who prefers to go by Pri, is a teenager living with her single mother. She doesn’t know much about her mother’s past. She doesn’t know anything about her father, about why her mother left India and refuses to ever go back, or about why she no longer speaks to her sister. But when Pri discovers a magical pashmina, everything begins to change. Suddenly, Pri is transported to India, where two animals take her on very picture perfect tourist guide stops around India. A shadow seems to be following her, beckoning to her. When Pri takes the pashmina off, that world evaporates and she’s back at home in America. The distinction between these two worlds and experiences is very effectively portrayed through vibrant colors in India and dull purples for her life at home. An unexpected phone call from her aunt sends her on a real-life trip to India, where Priyanka begins to learn about her mother’s past and put together the pieces that have always felt missing.

  This is a wonderful story of searching and longing—a story of discovery, secrets, living in two cultures, and women’s choices and pressures. Readers 10 and up will enjoy this adventurous and thoughtful look at truth and family. Beautifully done.

  ISBN-13: 9781626720879
  Publisher: First Second
  Publication date: 10/03/2017

• School Library Journal
  https://www.slj.com/2017/09/reviews/books/pashmina-by-nidhi-chanani-slj-review/
  Word count: 252

  Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani | SLJ Review
  By SLJ on September 7, 2017 1 Comment
  Get the latest SLJ reviews every month, subscribe today and save up to 35%.

  redstarCHANANI, Nidhi. Pashmina. illus. by Nidhi Chanani. 176p. First Second. Oct. 2017. Tr 16.99. ISBN 9781626720879.

  Gr 4-8 –Priyanka is a teenage girl who loves to draw. Her mother emigrated from India years ago, leaving Pri’s father behind. Pri is eager to learn about her father and her Indian heritage, but her mother refuses to discuss the subject. Then Pri finds an old pashmina in her mother’s suitcase, and when she puts it on, she is magically transported to the India of her dreams. Pri is greeted by an elephant and a peacock, who offer to show her around the country. Though they provide some answers, they inspire even more questions, and Pri must figure out how and why reality and her dream world overlap. This heartwarming story about family problems and female empowerment will inspire readers to make their voices heard. Much of the artwork is reminiscent of the illustrations in Vera Brosgol’s Anya’s Ghost: black-and-white with clear thick lines. Whenever someone dons the pashmina, the pages are suddenly drenched in rich colors. VERDICT This dazzling blend of realistic fiction and fantasy is perfect for fans of characters who have to overcome obstacles on their way to growing up.–Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

  This review was published in the School Library Journal September 2017 issue.

• The New York Times
  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/books/review/pashmina-nidhi-chanani.html
  Word count: 669

  BOOK REVIEW
  Can India Be Her Homeland, Even if She’s Never Been There?
  Children’s Books

  By IBI ZOBOI NOV. 10, 2017

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  From “Pashmina.”
  PASHMINA
  By Nidhi Chanani
  168 pp. First Second. $16.99.
  (Graphic novel; ages 12 and up)

  Authors often weave immigrant narratives into tapestries of symbolic prose, metaphors for long lost homes and the strangeness of new cultures. For a young protagonist, like the teenage Priyanka of Nidhi Chanani’s debut graphic novel, “Pashmina,” the many layers of the newcomer’s experience bring particular difficulties, fears and uncertainties. Following Pri as she explores her Hindu religion and her single mother’s native country of India in search of identity and meaning, Chanani masterfully turns the complex immigrant narrative into a magical and captivating work of art.

  Priyanka finds solace in her talent for illustrating comics, and in an endearing father figure, Uncle Jatin. He is, for one thing, a much calmer, more trusting driving instructor than Pri’s mother, who reminds her in the opening panels, “In India they don’t allow girls to drive.” Here is where Pri pulls from her inherited culture and reminds her mother that Shakti, “the goddess of energy and power,” chooses to meditate on the word “om” instead of giving in to sadness. “It’s a choice, mom! Choose to be calm,” she explains. While these first pages are in black and white, Chanani switches to enchanting, colorful panels to depict Shakti as the goddess “becomes the ocean.” As the book progresses, the panels featuring Pri’s daily life as a high schooler — one who must pry into her own past by asking her mom questions about India and her estranged father — are rendered in black and white, while color fills the pages once again when Pri discovers a magical pashmina folded inside an old suitcase.

  Photo

  Once she places it over her shoulders, she is transported to a land inhabited by a talking elephant, Kanta, and Mayur, a small blue bird, who proclaim, “We’ve been waiting for you.” Pri discovers that this magical place is none other than India. A mysterious shadow lurks along the edges of these tender moments with Kanta and Mayur as Pri tours India’s palaces. Before she can ask about it, the pashmina slips off and she is back in her black-and-white reality: not quite American, a social outcast among the cool girls at school, a self-doubting yet talented artist.

  The pashmina also comes with questions Pri needs answered: Did Uncle Jatin know her dad? Why doesn’t her mother want to visit India? The magical pashmina serves also as a shroud for family secrets that have traveled across borders, seas and time. A new set of emotions begins to stir when Uncle Jatin becomes a father to a sickly infant and is less available. What has anchored Pri to her Indian identity is slipping away. She is left alone with her ever-intrusive mother, even as unanswered questions widen the chasm between them. Her mother begins to open up, albeit starting off with the truism, “It’s harder to be a girl in India than you think.”

  The pashmina continues to serve as a portal to the India of Pri’s imagination, filled with palaces, tigers, coconut chutney and sitafal. But it is Pri’s prayers to Shakti that create a more tangible path as this finely embroidered tale beautifully unfolds, much like the sacred pashmina. Every character, speech bubble, wordless panel and choice of color serves the story in meaningful ways. Chanani has created an immigrant narrative that is suitably complex, capable of grappling with identity, mythology and magic right alongside the practical choices girls and women face in cultures in which their oppression can be concealed by beautiful exteriors.

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