This is Who I Am
Age 3+
Picture Storybooks
Be proud of your heritage in this stunning picture book from the team that brought us Dadaji's Paintbrush.
Discover that we are so much more than where we are from in this beautiful, poetic celebration of children with shared heritage, from a Diverse Book Award-winning team.
When people ask her where she is from, this little girl says she has a foot in two worlds: one in India, the country of her heritage, and one in the land her parents came to on a plane. But she is so much more than that – she is the memories, the music, the tastes, sights and sounds of both of those worlds, she is their shared history, and the people who fought for their freedom . . . but most of all, she is proud to be herself.
A poetic story about a little girl with Indian heritage who discovers all of the amazing things that make her who she is.
Creators
Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer-turned-stroyteller, who was part of the Penguin Random House WriteNow mentoring programme in 2018. As a British Indian child, she didn't get to see many children like her in the books she read, so she is now passionate about writing stories that children from all backgrounds can relate to.
Ruchi Mhasane has an MA in Children's Book Illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. Her ambition is to develop the form of the picture book; in India, children's books usually have few pictures, and her aim in joining the MA was to change this. Ruchi especially enjoys drawing people and children, and her work has a dreamy quality to it. She currently lives in India, where she grew up.
Reviews
A little girl celebrates her dual heritage and the two countries from where she is from… and reminds herself – and us – that she is proud to be herself
The Bookseller’s September Children’s Previews
A moving celebration of heritage and identity, this softly coloured picture book follows a little girl with “a foot in two worlds”, who is both “the richness of all the worlds she belongs to” and uniquely, proudly herself.
The Guardian
There is a lovely sense of gratitude running through this book. The writing is incredibly evocative and it feels really powerful to read it out loud
Becky Ross, @readmeastorymummy
A beautiful, meaningful story of heritage and memories that will resonate with so many of us
Vera Parente, @thekidsbookstagrammer
Rashmi Sirdeshpande’s This Is Who I Am (Andersen), illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane, is a moving celebration of identity, at once softly gorgeous and fierce. A child born of immigrant parents, with “a foot in two worlds”, is both “little fingers strumming a guitar / and the sweet notes of the sitar”; she is the strength to overcome racist resistance, and the “courage and patience” of freedom fighters; she is “every page of our shared history”
The Guardian
