This children's book is firstly absolutely stunning. The illustrations are made up of truly vibrant colours and drawn exquisitely and are worthy of being prints on a wall.

The story is one that is quite possibly a first of its kind as it's based on a same-sex marriage in India.

With same-sex marriages only recently being decriminalised in India I can only imagine how hard it will be for those couples to have their relationships and marriages accepted by both families and society as a whole. Which is why Ameya Narvankar's book is not only a beautiful thing to read to children, but a necessary one. It is those children who will hopefully alter the stigma that is same sex relationships.

If it's not apparent, I loved this book. When I chose it on Netgalley I wasn't aware of how beautiful the illustrations were but the subject matter called to me as acceptance is key to moving forward in life as a whole.

Narvankar's tale focuses on the acceptance that is found in love both familial and romantic. Through the determination of Ayesha's love for her cousin Ritu and that of Ritu's fiancée that the wedding party moves forward after what is, even in a children's book hard to see; the recriminations of strangers and police in their attempts to stop the wedding? We get to witness the simple and honest view that all of us should have. Love is love regardless of gender, age or race.

Ameya Narvankar's Ritu weds Chandni should find a home in every preschool, and in every home where a little one can be found. Books like this, I truly believe? Will help to end the bigotry, homophones and hypocrisy that still exists towards people who simply want to love the person they want in their lives.

Reading this as a queer South Asian, this book is deeply moving. I love how effectively the story centres love, and all the hurdles and hate that love is made to resist when it doesn't conform to certain societal/cultural expectations. And yet through all of this, the closeness of Desi families and the beauty of the festivities shine through. That is a difficult balance to strike, but it was handled masterfully, even within the relatively short length of a picture book! And the illustrations are just gorgeous. They really bring out the feelings and beauty of the occasion.

Beautiful! This lovely picture book is stunningly illustrated, the colours are rich and festive. We follow Ayesha on her way to her older sister's wedding to another woman, there's some resistance along the way but love and dance save the day. The book also introduces a handful of hindi words with definitions at the back. Adorable!

As the name suggests, Ritu and Chandni are all set to get married. But the society and few of their relatives are having a hard time digesting this information. Ritu's baby cousin Ayesha, however, sees this as a wedding where she gets to get decked up, dance and eat to her heart's content. She is genuinely happy for her cousin and questions the negligence and hatred of the society at every step.

'Ritu Weds Chandni' is a sweet story that is set in a society plagued by homophobia. Armed with bright and striking illustrations of a North Indian wedding, this makes for a compelling read. This book is also a great opportunity to get our kids educated about same-sex marriage.

This is the story that will help young children to learn to accept others for who they are. In a conservative society like Indians, it is difficult to change a view or a belief easily, but as the author mentioned that his aim is to teach them about their rights, about human rights especially LGBT's.

The story is told from the point of view of young Ayesha, who is excited for her cousin's wedding party. She learns that not everyone is like her own parents, who understand and accept Ritu's love and were happy that Ritu was going to be the first bride in the Kapoor family to lead her own baraat.

The dialogues were nicely created yet I felt like some conversations were incomplete, like the one with Charu Chachi.
I love the beautiful illustration. It is colorful, festive and delightful. Also, the usage of Hindi terms was great and they are explained at the glossary at the end.

This was so beautiful. The story was simple and impactful. The illustrations were very pretty. Really loved how easily this depicted the hate and discrimination that exists in our society and how baseless they are. Writing this story from the eyes of a young girl really put a spark in it. It effortlessly highlights how queerphobia isn't something natural or just inborn, it is something the society indoctrinates. The art style beautifully captures the explosion of colours and excitement that exists around weddings in India.

I really liked this. the writing, the graphic, everything, the vibe was so realistic and yet so wholesome.

I love that this is a kids book. it's just really good and necessary.

this book can be incredible to make sure kids are not close-minded.
it shows a Hindu marriage but this book is applicable and can be read by all cultures.

I really enjoyed it.

I'm looking forward to checking out other books by the author.

amazing.

I might not be the target market for this picture book (being a 27 year old grown woman) but I really loved it. The illustrations were beautiful, vibrant and accessible, a real celebration of culture. The story itself deftly walked a line between being too serious for a children's book and being too flippant about an important topic. The book focuses on a little girl whose female cousin is getting married to another woman - she can't see why there's such opposition to her cousin's marriage as she can only see the love and joy of such a celebration. It was quite a moving read for something so short. I would buy it for all my little cousins and niblings.

Great representation of South Asian culture and a gay wedding in a children's picture book. I really liked the artwork and the end note by the author.

Ritu Weds Chandi by Ameya Narvankar boldly goes where few children's authors choose to go... LGBT, homophobia, and intolerance. It is well written and beautifully illustrated. I haven't written my full review yet, but when it's done I'll post it to my website (Kelly's Classroom Online).

Update 11/9/2020: I completed my review and posted it to my website. I also included strategies to integrate Ritu Weds Chandni into classroom instruction.

This book is short and sweet while being full of beautiful art work. The short translations in the back helped a lot. It's a good educational book to have while also being a very loving way to show acceptance.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. I DNFd this book. If it seems enjoyable I would give it a try

A sublime graphic book for children, very colourful, well drawn but above all the story is essential as it follows Ayesha, a young Indian girl, on her way to her cousin Ritu's wedding with her girlfriend Chandni. The story deals with love in the face of tradition and the need to stand up for those you love.

I thank Netgalley for this book in exchange for honest criticism, and acknowledge Ameya Narvankar for this story and the representation it offers.

Ritu Weds Chandni was an absolute joy to read. While it is a short picture book geared towards a younger audience, it is a read that is impactful and important for all ages. The illustrations are stunning–wonderfully detailed and full of rich, vibrant colors. The story itself is lovely and heartwarming, and it was beautiful to see a children's book that centers an LGBTQ+ couple (specifically, two South Asian women). I thought the book did a wonderful job of addressing a potentially heavy subject in a way that can be understood by young children, while also infusing it with an important message of joy, hope, love, and acceptance. I would absolutely buy/recommend this book for a classroom library, my young cousins, and my friends' children, or even fellow adults. Thank you to Yali Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This a short illustrated book about Ritu marrying Chandni and the related wedding arrangements and rituals. Ayesha is much excited about her lovely cousin Ritu's wedding. But she seems to be confused as her relatives are missing from the wedding and even her parents are concerned. She finds out this happening because her Ritu Di marrying her girlfriend Chandni. Ayesha takes a step ahead to make this celebration work.

I loved reading this cute little book which is also an impactful book for children and elders. The colourful and vibrant illustrations made this book look amazing.

<i>arc provided to me by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

This was absolutely beautiful. The art was stunning, the characters were gorgeous and the message in this short little picture book was so important and just as beautiful as the art.

This story will let others see a new perspective, one that before was not seen in a good light. A younger audience will get to grow up seeing themselves in these characters and seeing the hope and love poured into these pages. Their culture shouldn’t have to be erased for them to love and our main character, Ayesha really highlights this. We see her showing her love for her cousin and her wife and because of Ayesha, they found the courage to continue on with their wedding. This was so beautiful.

I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this story.

5/5⭐️

Ritu Weds Chandni by Ameya Narvankar
Rating: 5/5

Little Ayesha is all excited about her favorite cousin Ritu’s wedding. She can’t wait to dance at the baraat ceremony! But not everyone is happy that Ritu is marrying her girlfriend Chandni. Some have even vowed to stop the celebrations. Will Ayesha be able to save her cousin’s big day?

Being a part of a large family, I have attended weddings where relatives, cousins gather together and have immense fun. I always believe that weddings are a great way to celebrate the meeting of two hearts. That’s why, even after not being a fan of children’s books anymore, I picked this book up. I thought this one to be fun read. However, this book emerged out to be a game-changer.

The social message that was sent by the writer through our little Ayesha is important for us as a society to understand and abide by. The judiciary system sanctions a law. However, it is up to the people following the system to respect the law and make everyone’s life smooth. But, to our very dismay, there are always people to come in between every good deed. They don’t have the courage to accept the fact that everything is not about ego and trivial prestige.

Little Ayesha with her innocence will do something that elders were unable to act upon. Children do have very soft hearts and sometimes they act more maturely than adults. I loved the execution of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience.
Thank you, NetGalley for providing me a copy of this beautiful book.

This was so sweet! I don’t often read children’s books, especially picture books, but when I saw what this was about I decided I really wanted to read it,

This was a cute and quick read, and I enjoyed it as an adult - I think children will like the book as well! I enjoyed the art style and there’s plenty of colorful pictures for children to enjoy,

I hope more picture books like this one, with queer characters and especially queer characters of color, get published. It’s so important for children to reads books like this one early on in life and I’m so happy that this book exists for children, I hope to one day have lots of books like this one if I end up having children!

This was such a sweet book! I loved the fierceness of Ayesha refusing to back down when people tried to stop the baraat! I am white and did not know about a lot of these customs, so it was a really cool way for me to learn some new things! I loved seeing a lesbian couple represented in a childrens book, and learning about another culture, and traditions was really fun too. I will definitely be buying this book for my nieces and nephews!

This is such a beautiful book. I love the story, and the illustrations are lovely. I love how a non-indian/non-hindu speaking reader can figure out what the Hindu words used in the story mean from the context of the writing and the pictures. We need more stories like this one for young readers. Nothing but love here.