The Beautiful Layers of Me

A young girl gains the confidence to participate in her family’s tradition—and be fully herself—in a vibrant ode to difference and love from a new voice in picture books.

Ameena can’t wait for her auntie’s Nikah. She’s never been to a wedding, and today there is one in her own garden! After putting on the salwar kameez that Babu gave her, with its soft layers of floaty fabric, she feels like a princess, skipping down the garden path. “Oh wow!” comes a friendly voice over the fence. “I wish I had pajamas like that!” Suddenly Ameena, her cheeks hot, starts to wonder: should she wear something else? In a gentle text capturing all the nuances of a first cultural experience, Sophia Payne follows a child’s passage from self-doubt to worry to pride, while Ruchi Mhasane’s expressive illustrations render the wedding garb in glowing colors and patterns that will have young readers wanting to join in the celebration.

Sophia Payne writes picture books and young fiction and tries to stay away from broken computers. Her writing often reflects her Indo-Caribbean heritage as well as her motto in life: always be kind. She is also the author of Faruq and the Wiri Wiri, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat. Half Guyanese and half British, Sophia Payne was raised in the UK and now lives in Germany with her husband and two children.

Ruchi Mhasane is also the illustrator of Dadaji’s Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande. She studied at the Cambridge School of Art and works mainly in pencil and watercolor. Ruchi Mhasane lives in India.