THE GREAT HENNA PARTY

A young girl plays the henna name game.

Noor’s cousin is getting married, and Noor and her female relatives have gathered to have their hands painted with henna, a plant-based paste that, when left on the skin, stains the skin red. Noor’s mother tells her that in their tradition, the bride sometimes plays “the henna name game”: The henna artist weaves the groom’s name into the designs painted on the bride’s hands. “If the groom finds it, he wins, and if he doesn’t, the bride wins!” Noor wants to join in, so her mother tells her to choose the name of someone she loves and to ask the artist to stencil it onto her hand. But who should she choose? Her father, her mother, her grandmother, her grandfather, or her sister? In the end, she comes up with a creative solution that celebrates her entire family. The book’s vivid, whimsical illustrations beautifully accompany the tender, well-paced text. Clear explanations of the henna party make this title a good window for children unfamiliar with the tradition. Characters are brown-skinned, though in varying shades, and while it’s never explicitly stated where the book takes place or what ethnicity Noor is, hints in the text suggest that she and her family are of South Asian descent.

A sweet, gentle tale about tradition, family, and celebration.