Inspired by the skateboarding revolution in India, Girls on Wheels follows three friends who support one another through the ups and downs of learning to skateboard.Anila is on her way to her favorite place: the skate park. She longs to glide on her board and feel the thrill of catching air. But when she arrives, the ramp looks like a concrete sea monster! Fear creeps in, making her once-broken arm ache. But Sana’s smile and Damini’s laugh wrap Anila in courage. Her friends remind her that in skateboarding, sometimes you fall—but sometimes you fly!
Srividhya Venkat’s lyrical text and Kate Wadsworth’s vibrant illustrations capture the energy and movement that make this picture book soar.
Srividhya Venkat hopped, skipped, and jumped careers before finding her most cherished one—writing for children. She has published several picture books, including
Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps, which won the 2022 South Asia Book Award, and
The Clever Tailor, which won the 2019 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. Having grown up in India and lived in three countries, Srividhya loves stories that are unique yet universal. Just like Anila’s challenge with skateboarding, Srividhya has her own with swimming, which she continues to work on. And she also loves kulfi! You can read more about her at srividhyavenkat.com.
Kate Wadsworth’s primary choice of wheels is a bike, and she spent her childhood riding around her hometown of Kailua, on the island of O‘ahu, Hawaii, where she currently lives and works as an illustrator and graphic designer. She earned her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, and she has worked with a variety of local and international clients, including Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Girls on Wheels is her first picture book. Learn more about Kate at katewadsworth.com and follow her on Instagram @wadsworthink.
