This Is Who I Am

As detailed in an author’s note, Sirdeshpande draws on personal experience and family history to pen a heartening picture book about finding a sense of belonging. Leading on from an “I am...” refrain, a youth celebrates their expansive sense of identity (“I say I have a foot in two worlds/ but I am so much more than that”). As affirmations evolve, a multigenerational story unfolds: “I am the plane that carried my parents/ to a new world.... I am long journeys back to India.” Sensorial details—“shiny silks, soft cottons,” “the crack of a coconut”—richly illuminate the speaker’s experiences, while closing passages present the protagonist as gaining confidence from a heritage of “fierce warriors, beautiful minds, and bold heroes.” Mhasan’s soft-edged illustrations gently move between seasons and settings, and conclude with depictions of Southeast Asian historical figures introduced in back matter. Ages 4–9. (Apr.)