This is one of the most important children’s books out there.

The book follows the story of Charu, who is excited to go to her cousin Ritu’s wedding. But the wedding is met with many obstacles—many family members do not attend and there are people opposing the wedding who are trying to disrupt it. Love wins in the end and Charu and her family celebrate the union of Ritu and her wife.

As a queer person who grew up in a culture that still doesn’t see queer marriage as valid, reading this book as a child would’ve been so affirming. I hope that young children can read this book and see that love is love and that there are people out there who are accepting, loving, and similar to them. The representation of two women getting married is so powerful, especially in a conservative religious society.

The color palette was very colorful, yet minimal and consistent the whole time, and effectively made the setting very immersive. The cultural details added in were lovely, and as someone who isn’t very familiar with Hinduism or its culture, it was great to see that represented in this book. There are Hindi terms embedded throughout and a glossary at the end. The author’s note was really impactful as well. All around, I think this is a much needed and important book that will positively impact many.

This book is simple, succinct and beautiful. It is a great book for adults who want to educate the children in their lives about compassion, LGBTQ and love. I love that the plot is extremely simple but has enough momentum to keep you engaged. The art is bright and colourful. It's not a style I usually prefer but it fits the narrative pretty well. It's something that was needed in india. It keeps the focus on the 2 women and little Ayesha, making Ayesha the eventual decision maker and ally. It's an amazing choice because it affirms that we only need love to accept things that might not make sense to us. It also places hope in children and how, if we teach them right and don't push our prejudices and agendas upon them, they might take their own decisions which will stem from a place of love.
Sweet, short read.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.
This is a beautiful short children's book that highlights the importance of LGBT+ marriages as well as how words and actions can influence a person. This was a beautiful book which should be in schools as not only should more people read about LGBT+ relationships but more people should also read more books featuring POC.

Rating: 5⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes

Ayesha is excited to attend her 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? Centering Ayesha’s love for her cousin as much as it showcases Ritu and Chandni’s love for each other, this warmhearted debut from Ameya Narvankar celebrates the power of young voices standing up against prejudice and bigotry.

Ritu weds Chandni is a children's book that I really enjoyed. Told from Ayesha's point of view, it makes it more effective and easier to understand among the target audience.

Ayesha is not aware of the complexities of life or bigotry at that. She just wants her cousin to be happy and to enjoy the wedding and food! I found that heartwarming. The fact that Ayesha is the one who leads the wedding procession at the end challenges the younger generation to be the change they want to see in the society. The book is also hopeful... that even if not everyone supports you, there will always be those that will be there every step of the way.

The artwork in this book is very colourful and lively. It helps build the overall joyful and festive mood of the book. Would one hundred percent recommend.

There's also a glossary at the end of the book so there's no confusing bit of the book.

This book had really bright colors throughout and was very easy to read. I am glad that there was a glossary of Hindi words in the back of this book since I do not speak Hindi. I like that this book was written to change society's minds, but I think it may be better suited for older kids instead of young kids. I think older kids would definitely be able to understand it better.

This was such a great read!

I was lucky to get an arc of this book. I saw the cover and was automatically attracted to it. I came into it hoping the the story would be as beautiful as the art, and it absolutely didn’t disappoint!

Ritu Weds Chandni handles difficult issues with respect, while also in a manner that children can can understand.

I was delighted to see a book that involved both my culture and my sexual orientation. It felt authentic and heartfelt in a way that not many books do.

Thank you, NetGalley for an arc of this book!

I totally enjoyed this book. It was a short but nice read. I wish that it is available among the picture books for children in India soon because it is NEEDED.

-- the plot
I really liked it. It is simple and radiated joy but also knew how to hit right in the feels during parts with tension. I liked that the sad part explained enough while also not lingering on it too long. The representation showing how Ayesha's happiness for her sisters alone could bring the joy back to the marriage was wonderful because it does say that even if one person really supports queer people, it CAN help.

-- the drawings
LOVED them. They were simple, beautiful, and joyous. Looking at them made me happy and we're all for that.

In conclusion, I really liked this book and would like to gift a physical copy of it to kids because we! need! queer representation in books for younger audiences.

Oh meu Deus esse livro é a coisa mais fofa que li em tempos!
Histórias infantis lésbicas são realmente meu ponto fraco, ah se eu tivesse acesso a isso quando mais nova!! Adorei a história e vou guardar ela no meu coração pra sempre!

This is such a great picture book. Diversity in the representation of LGBTQ+ characters is much needed and it’s a great intro to wedding customs as well. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story reinforces the idea that even children should speak out in the face of bullying.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Well articulated thought simplified for the young people. Kudos!

Recently in India and many Asian countries we are starting to acknowledge LGBT community and tbh the thing is totally an alien in our society. So It's important we teach our future generation how to apt themselves with it alongside letting them know the toxic and malicious side of our society and how firmly they should face it. And this book exactly does it. Not making it too graphic it shows the cancerous side of us and the triumphant Against it too. But in a simplified way. Ofc kids aren’t gonna understand the heavy terminology we adults use to describe the hollowness, so I think this book did a stunning job to make it apt for kids.

I can see a 5/6 years old me to enjoy it wholeheartedly. I'm judging it not from an adult viewpoint but the way how my child would take it. It's refreshing, educating and fun. Illustration style is also good. I just hope if there were couple more pages and if the story were a bit modified. Burring these, It's pretty much a great kid book.


Will recommend!

A gorgeous book about culture and difference, unfiltered and uplifting. Truly fabulous illustrations, and an important lesson for young readers. Love is love.

An important book that shines a light on homophobia and equally resists it through the eyes of a little child who's simply excited to dance at her cousin's same sex marriage.

↦ the happiness, excitement, and celebration around a desi wedding.
↦ narrated in a way to highlight the disapproval of society and some family members but also showcasing the pure delight through those who are attending the wedding.
↦ easily infuses the notion that a marriage is a marriage, and can be carried out with the same religious ceremonies that straight weddings are conducted.
↦ an authentic art style that greatly honors different skin tones of the brown family and the glitters of a desi wedding while not stepping out of the vivid color scheme.
↦ reinforces the fact that children aren't born homophobic and that society can potentially corrupt their thoughts to regard people differently for simply who they choose to love.

⭐ 4 STARS ⭐

Ritu Weds Chandni is a charming picture book that celebrates love. With beautiful vibrant illustrations and a simple storyline that is sure to please even the pickiest young reader, this graphic novel will teach your child about the importance of growth and acceptance in a family.
This book does not shy away from the intricacies of queer existence in India. It confronts homophobia at the source and celebrates change in a delightfully whimsical way.

You Should Read This Book if you Like 💕:
+Vibrant art 🎨
+Simple Stories about Complicated Topics 📔
+LGBTQ+ Stories👩‍❤️‍👩

Read this to your child and trust you are teaching them a valuable lesson about the beauty of acceptance.

PREORDER this book now to receive it when it’s released on December 1st, 2020 👰👰.

I received an advance review copy of this book for free via NetGalley in partnership with Yali Books. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.

Gorgeous illustrations and a beautifully told story come together in Ameya Narvankar's book, Ritu Weds Chandni.
The challenges of a same sex marriage unfolds during a vibrant and colorful wedding as Ayesha attends her cousin Ritu's wedding to Chandni. I highly recommend adding this book to school libraries. It's a simple story with a strong message about standing up to intolerance, and finding joy and happiness against adversity.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

This book was wonderful. The fact its told from Ayesha's point of view is amazing. She is nothing but proud of her aunt marrying her girlfriend, in the simple pure way children do. It is not all rainbows and sunshine but the ending is still a good one. Love is love and family who supports you is the best. The illustration style added so much vibrancy to the story.

I don’t have kids so I don’t normally read children’s picture books, but I knew I had to make an exception when I saw this one. This follows a young girl named Ayesha as she attends the wedding of her cousin Ritu and her girlfriend Chandni. She’s so excited for the big day, but things are interrupted when a group of people try to stop the wedding from happening. Ayesha doesn’t understand why these people and some of her own family are against the wedding of two women, but she decides she’s not going to let this special day be ruined.

This heartwarming children’s story is about love, being an ally, and standing up for what’s right. This book is especially poignant as same sex marriage is still illegal in India and same sex relationships have only just recently been decriminalized. I also appreciated learning more about Hindi as a language, and even learned a few new words while reading this! On top of that, the artwork was absolutely beautiful in this book as well.

I can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you have kids or teach young children. This is the kind of book I would have loved to have had while growing up and I think these kind of inclusive books are majorly important in creating a future of acceptance for the youth of today and tomorrow.

Pub date: December 1st 2020

*Thank you to Netgalley and Yali Books for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review*

Ritu weds Chandni is a book that directly deals with homophobia. In the book, Ayesha’s cousin, Ritu, is getting married to Chandni. Even though her immediate family supports her cousin, Ayesha soon realizes that Ritu and Chandni have not been accepted by the rest of the family and society. In fact, there are elements that actively try to ruin the wedding procession. But Ayesha is determined to help her cousin and confronts the people disrupting the celebration. The rest of the family and friends follow her lead. Ritu and Chandni persist and the wedding takes place in the presence of their near and dear ones and their unwavering love. The illustrations are vibrant and capture the sense of the joy and glamor of a wedding celebration.

Children’s books are a great conversation starter for topics you are wondering how to bring up to children. And if, as parents and caregivers, you are hesitating to bring up ‘difficult’ topics, I believe, children can actually be a very astute audience. They have no prejudice, they are naturally curious and have an extraordinary capacity to empathize. When I read the story to my eight-year-old, he said he really liked how Ayesha took a stand. It reminded him of how brave Martin Luther King was for what he believed in. A story of triumph, standing up for what you truly believe in, and the power of unconditional love.

Such a beautiful read!
Ayesha is so happy about her cousin's wedding! But not everyone is happy, because her cousin is a woman... And is marrying another woman.
This is a dream and a nightmare. A dream, because a traditional marriage in India between two women is pretty much impossible nowadays. A nightmare, because it shows that, even if it was possible, a lot of people would be against it.
But that's why this is such an important book: because it puts the focus on a child's perspective, with its naivety and open-minded approach. Because Ayesha love's her cousin, and she really can't see how marrying someone you love could raise so much hate.
Make your children read this. We need more asian and lgbtq+ representation in this world, and in children books. Because children are our best hope for a better future.
Also, the art is gorgeous so there's that, too.

The book was a total reality how citizens of India look at gay/lesbians. This graphic book was really cute and the illustrations were beautifully depicted the whole situation of the marriage. Characterization was done perfectly and it blended. The way Ayesha's character was portrayed gave us to look at the innocence of the child who just wanted her Ritu di to be happy. The questions which she raised regarding marrying was apt. She only wanted her sister to be happy. The society looked Ritu and Chandni differently and this is what happens still. This small graphic book gave us insight to the real situations. It is must a read book for everyone.

This is a sweet story about Ritu marrying Chandni and the wedding celebrations that follow. Ritu's young cousin Ayesha is very excited about the wedding but she sees concern in her parents' faces. She is also surprised to see some of her relatives missing from the wedding celebrations. This is a book about redefining traditions—what is wrong with a bride leading the baraat—and standing up against hate and homophobia.

Colourful, striking illustrations complete the north Indian wedding scenes. I really liked the use of bold colours which makes the book a celebration and nothing lesser.