This beautiful story is about a young girl trying to decide which person to honor by putting their name inside her henna design. The art is gorgeous and perfectly pulls you in to the scenes of a festive party. I love the color palette especially. I would love to own a copy of this book and read it aloud to my preschool class.

I am always looking for more picture books by South Asian authors for our collection, and this book is a wonderful addition to any children's library collection, and will be a hit with many families!

I received an electronic ARC from Lantana Publishing through NetGalley.
Noor is excited to attend her first Henna Party. Her mother makes sure she understands why the bride and others have patterns painted on their hands and feet before the wedding. She also shares a special game for the bride and groom. The artist hides the groom's name in the design. If he finds it, he wins; if he does not, the bride wins. Noor wants to have a loved one's name painted on her hand too. Readers see her think about each person in her family as the story unfolds. Malik uses a page spread with each person to introduce more about this part of her culture as Noor thinks about including that person's name. In the end, Noor finds the perfect solution and the artist creates a lovely design. Don't miss the author's note at the end of the book. The artwork is beautiful and fun to study for details.
I appreciate this look at an important part of the celebrations and culture.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lantana Publishing for the advance copy of "The Great Henna Party" by Humera Malik. This was a very sweet picture book. It shares a special part of South Asian tradition, painting with Henna, and connects it with the love the little girl Noor has for her family. This would be a nice book to share with a small child to teach about cultural traditions/celebrations and celebrate family togetherness.