Florida author Ritu Anand's next children's book, I am My Language, is an ode to all who have chosen to learn to read, write and speak their first language, something she is familiar with. In the book, a little girl named Surjeet wishes very hard that she could read her first language, Punjabi. She would like to prove it by reading at the Basant Festival. So, she asks her aunt to help her learn.
I Am My Language is a heartfelt celebration of heritage, identity, and the power of mother tongues. Inspired by true events, the story honors children and families who choose to read, write, and speak the language that shapes who they are. The story is based on experiences Anand had when she was young as she used to show her friends she knew how to read and write the language of her heart ... until she actually did.
Beautifully illustrated by Maaz Farzaan, I Am My Language is published by PathBinder Publishing LLC.
Anand is an award-winning author of Kara's Dreams (March 2022), a picture book about being resilient in the face of adversity. Her head and heart stay busy concocting stories. There is also a Spanish-language version of that book, called Los Sueños de Kara (November 2023). Both were published by PathBinder.
Ritu Anand is an award-winning author of KARA'S DREAMS, a picture book about being resilient in the face of adversity. Her head and heart stay busy - concocting stories. Too bad, life keeps coming in the way. I AM MY LANGUAGE is about little Ritu's pretentious act of showing to her friends she knows how to read and write the language of her heart, until she actually does.
Maaz Farzaan is a children's book illustrator. Traversing between both digital and traditional mediums, he uses his IPad and watercolors to create illustrations. He drew his inspiration to illustrate from an art book titled Kala Kusum that he found in a trash can. He learned the basics of arts and various artistic techniques from the book and continued drawing and painting further. Smiling at Maaz from the bookshelf, the book continued to help Maaz create and even promote his paintings online. A flurry of positive responses started flying in. What's more? Maaz received a national award for Best Illustration Artist in the digital arts category while he was pursuing his BFA degree at Amity University. At this point, Kala Kusum couldn't stop beaming. Maaz continues to work on picture books and chapter books as a freelancer. Illustrating children's books is not just his passion, but he sees this as an opportunity to build a better community around. He spends most of his time on his table honing his craft of creating beautiful visuals, and his goal is to connect with talented artistic people to make children feel seen. He believes discipline and desire are the two most important ingredients in the recipe of life.
