Henna Is...

A lyrical and charming picture book celebrating henna, a traditional plant-based form of temporary tattooing in South Asian, North African, and Middle Eastern cultures.

Henna is so much more than a form of temporary body art.

Henna is nature—seeds sprouted into shrubs, leaves kissed by tropical rain.

Henna is color—the orange of juicy mangoes, sun-kissed brown, or as black as the feathers of crows.

Henna is fragrance—earthy and nutty, lemony and clove-y.

The intricate patterns of flowers, feathers, vines, and other symbols painted and stained onto skin has been a tradition in cultures all around the world for thousands of years. Beautiful and eye-catching, henna also carries the scents, textures, and colors of family and identity.

Brilliantly illustrated by Anu Chouhan, Marzieh Abbas’ picture book serves young readers as a lyrical love letter to henna.

Raised between the bustling cities of Dubai, UAE, and Karachi, Pakistan, Marzieh Abbas loves traveling, baking, reading, and samosas. She is the author of A Dupatta Is..., a member of SCBWI and 12x12PB, and a lifelong learner.

Anu Chouhan is a Punjabi Canadian illustrator from Vancouver. She is also the illustrator of A Dupatta Is... and the graphic novel Aru Shah and the End of Time. Growing up, she always knew she wanted to pursue an artistic career and spent a lot of time learning about animation, while drawing inspiration from video games, fashion, anime, Bollywood movies, and nature.

"Writing in vivid, sensory language, [Abbas] offers an all-encompassing exploration of the topic, accompanied by Chouhan’s enticing illustrations dominated by floral patterns and symbols from the various cultures where henna is popular. Nontraditional henna designs—smiley faces, ice cream cones, thunderbolts—appear, too, lending a playfulness to the art. A joyful look at an important cultural tradition." —Kirkus Reviews

"Colorful and affirming illustrations mirror each description, leaving cultural insiders warmly gratified and cultural outsiders with new knowledge. An author’s note adds a little more context. ... Pair Henna Is . . . with Meera Sriram's A Garden in My Hands (2023) and Zain Bandali's Mehndi Boy (2023) for a cute text set all about henna." —Booklist