Author So!a Mandal, M.D. has created a children's book that is perfect for the times we are currently living in.

Our society has become the most multicultural one out of any country on Earth and as such, children are sometimes confused about their place in the world and how they fit in.

In SONYA SAHNI AND THE FIRST GRADE, Sonya was born in the United States, but her parents emigrated from India. At school, all her classmates identify solely as American, which is exactly how Sonya wishes she could feel. The problem is that when Sonya is at home, her parents want her to embrace her Indian roots.

She feels torn between the two identities. Like any other child, Sonya wants to fit in. At the beginning of the story, Sonya feels like a misfit.

I am positive that there are hundreds of thousands of children in North America who will be able to understand exactly how Sonya feels. This book is for them. As the story unfolds, Sonya learns that she can, and in fact should, embrace all aspects of herself as she learns self-love and self-acceptance.

This book is aimed at children, but there are many adults who could benefit from the lessons Sonya learns.

I rate this book as 4 out of 5 Stars

The only punctuation in the book was question marks, which really bothered me. So I didn’t finish it. All of my DNFs are 1 star, unfortunately.

5 Stars. This story follows an Indian American grade school girl’s growing discomfort at being from teased about her classic Indian clothing, culture and diet. The wise teacher proposes a peaceful solution by embracing the many different cultures from which the students have come—an International Day at school. Alleviating Sonya’s discomfort and the probable unstated discomfort of other first generation American students, this subtle story resolves powerfully by defusing potential stronger acts of bullying amongst young students. Pleasantly, dramatically and colorfully illustrated by Tim Williams. Recommended for family reading time, this book shares an important message for our turbulent ti

This book tries so hard, it practly bends over backwards. I admire the concept, and the attempt to tell a story of acceptance, which is why I gave it three stars, but the execution was a little clumsy.

The story is of Sonya, who is Indian-American, and her mother only sends Indian food with her to school, and she is made fun of. The solution? Oh, not to get the children to stop bullying, or anything like that, but to have an international day, organized by the parents, with food from all the countries of origin that the kids in the first grade came from, from Spain, to Mexico, to Japan, to Iran, all the different foods are shared on international day, and Sonya makes new friends.

The problem I have with this, is, where were all these kids before international day? If there were really that many different children of immigrants, eating their native foods, where were they when Sonya was getting teased? From the look of the classroom, there doesn't appear to be more than 20 kids in the class. Were the white children working overtime to harass all the other kids?

So, three stars for concept, but not for execution.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This uplifting children's story was a joy to read, as were the colourful images of wonderfully diverse representation.

"Sonya smiled at Mrs. Abdul, she felt at ease. She finally embraced who she was, a blend of West and East."

Soma Mandal expertly tells the story of what many children in America deal with in their lives. Sonya was born in America while her parents were born in India. She desperately wants to fit in with her friends, but her parents insist she stay close to her Indian culture. Sonya's teacher decides to create an International Day so that the class may experience each other's cultures.

This is a great story that is very relevant in America's schools, perfect to use in class and at home to teach children how to accept the differences in each other and themselves.