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.

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.

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.

In India, young Ayesha is thrilled to celebrate the upcoming wedding of her favorite cousin Ritu to her girlfriend Chandni. Not everyone in town or in the Kapoor family shares Ayesha's excitement. At first glance Ritu Weds Chandni is a simple story about a child's untainted and joyous understanding of love. Dseper consideration examines homophobia as a cultural norm, entrenched gendered expectations, and violent resistance to sociopolitical change in expanding representative inclusion for all. Figures garbed in red and other saturated primary and secondary colors with turquoise accents pop in contrast to a tonal background of muted gold. This story celebrates love and invites readers to recognize the ethical right of every human to be loved for who they are, as they are. A glossary of terms followed by an author's note provide clarification of family relationships, cultural traditions, garments, and South Asian LGBTQ+ recommendations for young readers. Ritu Weds Chandni uses a traditional wedding procession to examine society's slow progression toward equal marriage rights for all people everywhere.

This was such a cute little story and I loved how it addressed how hard it is to be queer in desi culture. I loved how Ayesha never for a second thought there was anything wrong with Ritu and Chandni and didn't entirely understand why the rest of their family had an issue with them. This was just so great!

This sweet picture book about being yourself even if others disapprove is amazing. I loved the theme and Ayesha's energy. I really enjoyed this book.

Gorgeously illustrated picture book about a lesbian Indian couple, their wedding, and their young cousin who adores them both but does not understand the anti-gay bigotry of some of her family and cousin's neighbors. While the story has a happy ending, it does include scenes of anti-gay verbal assaults, physical intimidation, and a particularly distressing multi-page scene wherein community members turn fire hoses on the wedding party in an attempt prevent the wedding from occurring. Inclusivity and tolerance are significant themes and rooted specifically within the cultural context. An author's note at the end serves as an appeal to the Desi community, of which he is a part, to be embrace same sex relationships and their portrayal as a human right. He also provides a brief list of additional South Asian LGBTQIA+ books for children and young adults.

Ritu Weds Chandni is a short and sweet picture book about LGBT+ positivity. The illustrations are amazing and there's also a glossary in the back, which can help people unfamiliar with Hindu culture. I totally recommend this book.

Ayesha, a young Indian girl, doesn't understand why many people are opposed to her beloved cousin Ritu's wedding to another woman, Chandni. Ayesha is determined that Ritu's wedding will be a joyful day, despite the intolerance in their way.

What a short and sweet story. The illustrations are beautiful, and it's a perfect book to introduce young kids to LGBTQ+ positivity. There's also glossary at the back for terms the reader may not be familiar with, so if you're unfamiliar with Hindu culture you get to learn something too! It's a simple but moving story and looks great on top of that.

I loved the colorful illustrations and hopeful story of Ritu Weds Chandni!

The book tells us the story of same sex couple Ritu and Chandni’s big day. Little Ayesha shares how she and her family will represent Ritu in the baarat. The baarat is a dancing parade usually led by the groom’s side to the wedding venue. In this way, the book shares how many same sex couples modify traditions to reflect their relationships.

The book has some difficult moments. In one, Ayesha learns that many family members will not be joining the wedding because they oppose Ritu and Chandni’s union. In another, protestors douse the wedding party with hoses.
The story ends on a hopeful note as Ayesha leads the wedding party in a defiant and hopeful dance.

The color and visual style of the illustrations could carry this book on their own. But on top of that, the story is hopeful and shares how kids can stand up for others and themselves.

As far as I know, this is the first children’s book addressing Indian weddings and Indian same sex couples. Hope to see many more in the future.

Thanks to Yali Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was simply too adorable 😍🥺 I loved how adorable the whole wedding setting was, and at the same time showed the ignorance of human. It was sad and yet happy. The ending was so cute, and I think everyone needs to read this little graphic novel!

Ameya Narvankar’s Ritu Weds Chandni starts off on a joyous note. Little Ayesha is thrilled because “her favourite cousin is getting married…” Everyone is decked up and getting ready to dance in the baraat, she sings. The family sets out to the bride, Ritu’s house and memories of her brother Deepak’s wedding flood Ayesha’s mind.

But we see the first signs of trouble brewing as Ayesha’s mother says that traditionally it’s the groom who leads the baraat. Not everyone is going to share Ayesha’s happiness, she realises.
Ritu Weds Chandni is a beautifully illustrated book that questions identities and societal norms. Seen through the eyes of a child, they seem incomprehensible and unnecessary. Why can’t two people who love each other, be together? Isn’t love supposed to transcend all boundaries?

I wholeheartedly support Yali Books and Narvankar’s efforts in asking such important questions at a young age.

"I had explored the topic of visibility and representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the Indian society, wherein I had looked at different portrayals of characters in films and media, especially in literature. I found that none of it existed in an Indian context," Narvankar explains in an interview with The Indian Express.

With more awareness, there is an urgent need to address that awareness in a sensible, balanced manner in children. Inculcate fair values in them and help them understand that the world has all kinds of people. "The idea was to address the fact that children are not born homophobic, they are conditioned to believe in certain things," says Narvankar in the same interview.

I agree and there aren’t too many books dispelling that notion for children. This is one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It takes barely a few minutes to read but it demands much thought afterwards.

Thanks to Yali Books for the ARC!

This book was so good. I want everyone to read this. The sweet and small book will hardly take your 10 mins of the day. It's authentic and real. It focuses on the society issues we face here in India. The graphics are too good. I am in love with all the characters in this book.

This is a short book with cute graphics, throwing light on the prejudices of people in the Indian community who are still against the marriage of same-sex couples. I loved the bubbly character of our protagonist, Ayesha and feel how important it is to raise kids without age-old prejudices because they are our future and just so pure. They just see marriage as the union of two people who are deeply in love and celebrate it with utmost pomp.

Even though the story was quite short, with little plot, it is quite impactful and it does serve as a learning curve and parents can pick this up to narrate to their kids, in order to educate them and broaden their minds. Desi Rep was a great plus!