I write the Why Is My… books: South Asian middle grade novels about the questions kids actually ask. Why Is My Hair Curly? (Westland, 2020) and Why Is My Skin Brown? (Westland, July 2026) follow Indian American kids working out identity, belonging, and family in front of their classmates and cousins. Why Is My Skin Brown? takes on colorism and skin color head-on, at a child’s eye level. Sarayu hears opinions about her brown skin on two continents. I visit schools and libraries to have that conversation in person.
I live in Exton, Pennsylvania. I visit in person within about 45 minutes of Exton, and I visit everywhere else by Zoom.
Programs
What Does Seeing Yourself in a Book Feel Like?
On representation and diversity in reading
Grades 4 to 8 · 45 minutes · assembly or classroom
A reading from Why Is My Skin Brown? and an honest conversation about what changes when a child opens a book and meets a character who looks like them and asks the same questions they do. We talk about why representation matters, both for the kids who rarely see themselves on the page and for the kids who rarely see anyone different. Open student Q&A.
The Refusal to Translate
Why learning about other cultures broadens the world
Grades 5 to 8 · 60 minutes · classroom discussion (optional short writing exercise)
Why do some books explain every unfamiliar word while others let you step into a world and work it out? Using the Why Is My… books, we look at how a story can carry its own language and customs without translating them for the reader, and why meeting a culture on its own terms is how reading widens your world. Students leave more curious about the books that do not explain themselves.
Free 15-Minute Virtual Q&A
If your class is reading one of my books, I will join you on Zoom for 15 minutes of student questions at no charge. Simple to book, and I mean it about free.
Rates
| Format | Rate |
|---|---|
| Virtual 15-minute Q&A (class reading my book) | Free |
| Virtual presentation, 30 to 45 minutes | $150 |
| Virtual full day (up to 3 sessions) | $500 |
| In-person single session (within about 45 minutes of Exton) | $300 |
| In-person half day (2 sessions) | $600 |
| In-person full day (3 to 4 sessions) | $1,000 |
If the fees are beyond your budget, tell me what you can afford and we will work something out. Title I schools receive a significant discount.
Many schools fund author visits through a PTA grant, and it is usually the librarian or an English teacher who writes the application. If that is you, I will send you everything the application needs, including a program description, my bio, and references.
For Your Classroom
- Teacher’s Guide for Why Is My Skin Brown?
- Parent and Family Reading Guide for Why Is My Skin Brown?
- Books are orderable through Ingram, so your local independent bookstore can stock classroom sets through their usual channel.
- Browse my South Asian Kid Lit reading list on Bookshop, a curated shelf of picture books and middle grade.
Experience
I have led Why Is My Hair Curly? sessions for students from elementary through grade 10, in person and over Zoom. In the US, I read the book live to all grades at Uwchlan Hills Elementary in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, with student Q&A, and the book is in the school library collection. In India, a school tour brought storytelling assemblies and writing workshops to over 600 students across two Chennai schools.
I have also presented Why Is My Hair Curly? at literary festivals across India:
- Bangalore Literature Festival, Children’s section, 2023 (in person)
- Bookaroo Children’s Literature Festival, Delhi, 2023 (in person)
- Hyderabad Literary Festival, 2021
- Orange City Literature Festival, Nagpur, 2020
- Dakshin Literary Festival (The New Indian Express), 2020
Reference: Megan Mitchell, Library Media Specialist at Uwchlan Hills Elementary School (Downingtown, PA), who hosted my Why Is My Hair Curly? read-aloud sessions. Her contact details and additional references are available on request.
Booking
To book a visit, send me your school, grade band, preferred dates, and format through my contact page, and I will confirm within two business days.