Resource Library
We strive to provide valuable resources to support and empower our community members. As we continue to expand our online platform, we want to ensure that our resource list includes the topics and materials that matter most to you. We have included only a handful of the many that exist and of which we are becoming aware.
Children’s Books for Teachers
Hair Oil Magic by Anu Chouhan
A beautiful picture book about the joyful magic in the tradition of hair oiling and a celebration of the bond between parent and child.
Panjabi Garden by Keerat Kaur
Panjabi Garden is focused on Gurmukhi alphabet recognition, nature-based Panjabi nouns, and a continuous story that weaves these elements together. This book is meant to hold a beginner's hand through the language, while providing proficient speakers with a novel experience of visual and literary substance.
Stories for South Asian Supergirls, by Raj Kaur Kahira
Raj is a lawyer, author and activist. She is the founder of the globally acclaimed, award winning campaign, the Pink Ladoo Project. 'The Night the Reindeer Saved Christmas' is her second book.
Bharatnatyam in Ballet Shoes by Mahak Jain, illustrated by Anu Chouhan
A girl explores her love of dancing and her cultural identity in a lively picture book with echoes of the real-life collaboration between Bharatanatyam icon Rukmini Devi Arundale and ballerina Anna Pavlova.
A Dupatta Is . . .
A Dupatta Is..., written by Marzieh Abbas and vividly brought to life by the artwork of Anu Chouhan, is a loving and lyrical ode to the dupatta.
Fairest of All: A Graphic Novel
Bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski and award-winning illustrator Anu Chouhan join forces to bring us this vibrant, action-packed, enchanting graphic novel adventure that will appeal to fans of fairy tales, Raina Telgemeier, The Land of Stories, and all magical, empowering adventures.
Henna Is . . .
A picture book that serves young readers as a lyrical love letter to henna, written by Marzieh Abbas and illustrated by Anu Chouhan.
Aru Shah and the End of Time
Best-selling author Rick Riordan Presents the graphic novel adaptation of the New York Times best-selling fantasy adventure by Roshani Chokshi, inspired by the great Hindu epics she grew up on.
Amma's Sari: A Picture Book
From author Sandhya Parappukkaranand illustratorMichelle Pereira—the creators of The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name—comes Amma’s Sari, a tender and endearing picture book about family history, culture, and enduring love
Dosti the Book
Dosti is a story about friendship and camaraderie and is illustrated through birds that are popular in South Asia.
Sangeet and the Missing Beat
Sangeet loves music, and she's good at composing it, too. Her favourite instrument is the tabla. One day, Sangeet hears all kinds of noises everywhere and together, they have the most incredible beat. But when she tries to play it on her tabla--something is missing! Will Sangeet be able to find her Missing Beat?
My name is Saajin Singh
A debut picture book that explores the importance of pronouncing names properly and celebrates cultural identity.
Books
Can you hear the Nightbird Call? by Anita Rau Badami
Stories of three women, linked in love and tragedy, over a span of fifty years, sweeping from the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 to the explosion of Air India flight 182 off the coast of Ireland in 1985.
100 Year Journey
A homage to 100 pioneering Canadians who migrated from South Asia within a commemorative publication; produced and compiled by Rana & Rupa Vig.
Untold Stories: The South Asian Pioneer Experience in BC by Karen Dosanjh
Untold Stories: The South Asian Pioneer Experience in BC is a fascinating and timely book which chronicles the historic milestones of the first South Asians who migrated from India to Canada.
A History of Burning by Janika Oza
An epic novel about how one act of rebellion can influence a family for generations.
Coconut Dreams by Derek Mascarenhas
Explores the lives of the Pinto family through 17 linked short stories. Starting with a ghost story set in Goa, India in the 1950s, the collection weaves through various timelines and perspectives to focus on two children, Aiden and Ally Pinto. These siblings tackle their adventures in a predominantly white suburb with innocence, intelligence, and a timid foot in two distinct cultures.
Home Body by Rupi Kaur
A reflective and intimate journey visits the past, the present, and the potential of the self. Home body is a collection of raw, honest conversations with oneself, reminding readers to fill up on love, acceptance, community, family, and embrace change.
Film
Bend it Like Beckham directed by Gurinder Chadha
Two ambitious girls, despite their parents' wishes, have their hearts set on careers in professional football.
Podcasts
Sher Vancouver Podcast
Bringing people together through story sharing, celebrating, highlighting experiences, and learning alongside one another.
Art Exhibition
un/tangling, un/covering, un/doing
Shares stories embedded in the rituals attached to hair, such as acts of resistance and sacred reverence.
Hope
It addresses themes of strife, displacement, and despair, it reverberates with a love of culture and community through which is found strength, the power to overcome adversity, and above all, hope.
Des Pardes
Personal accounts, archival documents, photographs, heirlooms, and works of art contributed by members of local South Asian Canadian communities are organized around the themes of migration, faith, family, business and livelihoods, oppression and opposition, and contemporary culture.