A new picture book from Simran Jeet Singh, A Vaisakhi to Remember celebrates community and heritage as a young girl looks for points of connection in a new country through the joyous Sikh spring harvest holiday of Vaisakhi.In our village, the best day of all was Vaisakhi, the spring harvest festival . . . When a Sikh family moves from their village in India to a faraway city on the other side of the world, a girl yearns for her grandmother's hugs, her goat Ramu, and the lush fields filled with yellow flowers and wheat. How will they celebrate Vaisakhi in her new and unfamiliar surroundings?
But the girl soon discovers soothing touchstones—a special outfit, a trip to gurdwara, delicious food, and new friends—that make gathering for Vaisakhi
still the best day of all.
With gorgeous, intricate illustrations by debut children’s book illustrator Japneet Kaur, this touching story from Simran Jeet Singh shows us that while life changes, home is where we build community and carry traditions forward.
On sale: March 11, 2025
Age: 4-8 years
Grade: Preschool - 3
Page count: 32 Pages
ISBN: 9780593859087
Reading level: Lexile: AD630L | Fountas/Pinnell: P
Simran Jeet Singh is the executive director of the Aspen Institute's Religion & Society Program and the author of the national bestseller
The Light We Give (Riverhead, 2022). He is also the author of the award-winning picture book
Fauja Singh Keeps Going (Kokila, 2020), which was named a Best Book of 2020 by National Public Radio and the New York Public Library, and has been featured on numerous outlets, including CNN, BBC, Runner's World, and TODAY.com.
Japneet Kaur graduated with a fine arts degree from the Chandigarh College of Art. She currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada as a painter, illustrator, potter and animator. Her work is inspired by narratives, some real, some fantastical; small tales that weave through the natural and human world, in a continuous vocabulary based on the themes of homes, habitats, ecosystems, migrations, immigration and representation. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter/X @storyofaseed.
Praise for A Vaisakhi to Remember by Simran Jeet Singh; Illustrated by Japneet Kaur:
"Kaur’s dense, jewel-like watercolor illustrations expand moments beyond Jeet Singh’s bustling text, leaning into group scenes and linking celebrations." —
Publishers Weekly
"A heartfelt story of home, tradition, and continuity." —
Booklist
“This tender story encapsulates the conflicting emotions that often accompany a move. An empathetic tale that speaks to the complex feelings inherent to undergoing big change.” —
Kirkus Reviews
"A beautiful picture book about a family’s honoring the evolution of traditions." —
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
