Chandrima Chatterjee – illustratör

Step into a mangal bazaar—a traditional Tuesday street market in India, much like a weekly street fair. This bilingual picture book follows Meena and her Maa as they explore colorful stalls through rhyming Hindi couplets and rhythmic English translations. Playful illustrations capture vegetables, fruits, flowers, spices, and street foods that make these bazaars so memorable—from cauliflower and coriander to roses, marigolds, golgappas, and kulfi.Side-by-side Hindi and English encourage joyful bilingual learning, while giving children a window into everyday Indian life and culture. An interactive “Meena’s Market Finds” spread at the back invites children to look, point, and name items in both languages, making this book perfect for family read-alouds, classrooms, cultural programs, and multicultural storytimes.

The Journey Seed is a tender picture book about a journey, family, and hope, and the quiet courage it takes to begin again. Through the eyes of young Mala, readers follow a migration shaped by the history of Indenture, as her family leaves their village in India and travels across the sea toward an unfamiliar island.Along the way, they carry their heritage, traditions, songs, and a single mango seed—an emblem of memory, identity, and love.As Mala discovers what it means to be brave, the seed becomes a gentle symbol of resilience, growth, and belonging—something small that holds generations of meaning. Set against changing landscapes and moments of struggle and adventure, the story weaves history with heart, highlighting community, cultural exchange, and the strength found in shared traditions and new beginnings.Rooted in real history and told with warmth and care, The Journey Seed invites children to see how families grow even when the world changes. This timeless story honors the past while celebrating new beginnings, offering educators and caregivers an accessible entry point into conversations about global history, Asian Americans, Indian Americans, Indo-Caribbean, Indian diaspora, and the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) experience, and the enduring meaning of home.