Nadia's Hands Paperback – Picture Book, December 1, 2009

Well-written with beautiful oil pastel illustrations. This book looks at the Hindu/Pakistani/Middle-Eastern practice of mendi/henna as decoration for celebrations, in particular for weddings. The story is told through the eyes of a Pakistani girl and shows some of the inner conflict second- and third-generation children encounter when trying to bridge cultures and find their place in society. In this case, the fear that coming to school after the wedding looking different (with henna on her hands) might make her not fit in. Well done.

Love it!

I use this book in a Henna Tattoo lesson that I teach 4th graders. This book is a great read while they work to introduce terminology as well as make a deeper cultural tie.

Great story for children! Promotes children to be proud of their culture and their identity.

I love this book. It's such a great addition to my multicultural library.

Nadia has the duty of being the flower girl in a wedding, and two fears threaten her performance of this duty. The first is the fear of her friends' mocking her should she do something wrong or embarrass herself during the ceremony. The second is the fear of what the schoolchildren will do on Monday when they see the orange mehndi on her hands.Her fears almost overcame her, but when she saw her extended family's happiness at her appearance, she was able to refocus and complete her task as the flower girl. She was able to accept her hands as her own.The book is well-written and beautifully illustrated.I'm always surprised at the rivalries among little girls in children's literature, because I never remember as a little boy having these suspicions about the boys my age. With that reservation, I do like this book, and I'm eager to read it aloud to some children and see if they like it as well.

Karen English is to be congratulated for Nadia's Hands. There is a dearth of stories on issues faced by Pakistani-American children. Nadia's Hands makes a rich and stunning contribution to this area. The storyline is splendidly rendered. Nadia has been chosen to be the flower girl in Auntie Laila's traditional Pakistani wedding. Her hands are to be decorated with intricate designs of mehndi henna. The love of a large extended family assists her in understanding cultural traditions and accepting her role in the wedding celebrations. Notably, Karen English presents a theme rarely found in children's literature - patience. After the mehndi is applied, Nadia's mother gently reminds her: "Be patient Nadia. Remember sabr - patience." The theme is similar to that of Subira Subira by Tololwa M. Mollel, an Arusha Maasai from Tanzania. In Swahili, "subira" means patience and is derived from the same root as "sabr". In Mollel's story, a brave young girl Tatu embarks on plucking three whiskers from a lion. In taming the lion, Tatu learns the power of patience and song. "Sabr","subira" and the theme of patience are indicative of the richness presented by the increasing number of multicultural stories in children's literature. My four year old really enjoyed Nadia's Hands and it remains a favourite. The pastel colours in the book are warm and evocative. A small complaint is the mispelling of Zahra Khan's name on the last page. Also a Pakistani-American child would likely address an aunt as "Laila Auntie" instead of "Auntie Laila".

We checked out this book from the library for our almost 4 year old daughther, who is born here but very much in love with everything Indian - from food to bindis to the religious events. When I read it at first, it seemed unnecessarily graphic about Nadia's feelings. After my 3rd or 5th read, I realized that the book brought forth emotions in Nadia, not uncommon amongst multi-ethnic kids in the American culture. Of course they're confused about the wierd customs of their parents, the expectations and rituals. It is only through an understanding of the very customs through the kids' extended families does confusion melt away. If more books like this existed for the kids, maybe the ABCD (American Born Confused Desi) stigma would seem more like a rite of passage. A definte read for any Indian parent raising a child in America.

Lovely book, no doubt. Illustrations, story, the works ! But I found the tone quite negative for our specific circumstances. I suppose it fits a Northern American environment where kids of different ethnicities may have difficulty to adapt to a large group of peers and stand up for their cultural identity within that group. If that resonates, then this book does the brilliant job of reassuring and empowering kids ! In our case, we live in a very different type of community, where this fear of “what will the other kids say tomorrow if I show up at school with mehndi on my hands” doesn’t exist. So I feel like I pre-empt a problem I don’t have. I sent the book back, it’s amazing but not applicable to some.

Lovely book to use in my RE lesson