**Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Archie's uncle Poppy is getting married, and we follow her as she experiences all the parts of the wedding. From the mehndi party to the end of the ceremony, she shows us what it's like to attend an Indian Hindu wedding.

This book is great for teaching children about the cultures of those that are different from them, and encouraging them to celebrate those differences.

Parwinder's illustrations are beautiful and really capture all of the details. At the end, there is an author's note and a glossary of terms.

4 Stars

I missed the first book where Archie, aka Archana, celebrates Diwali, but got this well in time. This book has a mellowed version of Indian weddings for kiddos to have a glimpse into our culture.
Archie’s Poppy Uncle is marrying Miss Julie (who looks adorable in Indian wear). So, he brings Julie’s niece, Emma, and asks Archie to ensure she has a good time at the wedding. Archie is already too busy helping everyone and babysitting her little brother, Krishna. But Emma is a darling, and the girls get on well very soon.
The story is sweet and simple and gives a rough gist of different celebrations in a Hindu wedding. It’s also highly simplified to prevent readers from feeling overwhelmed. Our weddings have a lot going on and are too much fun!
The illustrations are cute and vibrant. The color schemes are well done to create appealing artwork on every page. The Ganesha murti in Archie’s house is a lovely touch. Beautiful! I love the bindis, bangles, necklaces, and earrings they wear. Can’t have an Indian wedding without dressing up. ;)
I’m not sure why no one explained to Julie how mehendi works. It seems odd that they’d leave her panicking about something like that (especially when she is all dressed up, which is hard with mehendi on both hands.) Someone helped her, so it makes sense they would have talked about the mehendi. Not to mention, it has to be rubbed off first, and coconut or clove oil is applied to the hands to deepen the color (which takes a few hours).
It would have been better if Julie panicked about her wedding saree (which is bound to be heavy) or felt worried she might forget the rituals. Archie could assure her about it (most brides are jittery, anyway).
Still, the book does a good job. There’s a note at the end mentioning the differences in Hindu wedding rituals based on region. I appreciate that. (Stealing the groom’s shoes is not a part of South Indian Hindu weddings). There’s a glossary, too, which is another plus. And finally, on the last page, we have a picture of the author on her wedding day. How cool is that? I totally love this!
To summarize, Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding is a cute, sweet, and compact little book that gives a glimpse into Indian weddings. It’s a good place to start.
Thank you, NetGalley and Charlesbridge, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This was lovely! I loved learning about Indian weddings and the lessons taught were great as well! It’s so important to learn about other cultures.

Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding is an adorable book about Archie teaching her new friend and soon-to-be cousin, Emma about Indian weddings. Archie involves Emma in the preparation that takes place before the big day and teaches her that they’re supposed to have fun and be happy at Indian weddings.

This book will teach young children about some of the traditions and customs that can possibly be seen in Indian weddings. I love how there is a note at the back of the book that discusses how East Asian weddings vary by region, depending on local customs and variations. There is also a glossary at the back of the book to define words that students may not recognize.

This is a cute story about a young Indian girl named Archana (aka Archie) who is excited about her Poppy Uncle's forthcoming wedding to a foreigner, Miss Julie. Archie is less excited about the fact that she has to keep an eye on her little brother Krishna during the festivities. So she is even less pleased when she is given the added responsibility of looking after Miss Julie's niece, Emma.

But as it turns out, Emma is really nice and helps Archie look after Krishna. In return, Archie has the opportunity to teach Emma all about the more interesting wedding traditions, including that of stealing the bridegroom's shoes for ransom!

The two girls are also able to help Miss Julie when things are going wrong for her at one point. So in fact, they end up saving the day. Even if it's only the three of them who know about that...

The illustrations are adorable, and the story is a good introduction to Indian culture wrt Hindu weddings. Children of the target age group should find this an enjoyable read.

This is a wonderful book to teach non-Indian people what to expect from an Indian wedding. Archie explains everything to a white girl, her future cousin, what is going on. What she keeps repeating, throughout, that the most important thing is to have fun and be happy.

Great pictures, and there is a glossary in the back to explain words that Archie throws around that aren’t explicitly explained.

The last book about Archie explained Diwali to her white friends, so it makes sense that this is another story that explains something, while telling a cute story.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 30th of April 2024