Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes

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. 

Paro comes from a dancing family. At home, she dances Bharatanatyam with her mom, and now she’s excited to learn ballet. But what if she can’t dance like the other kids in her class? Ballerinas move like fairies, while Bharatanatyam dancers seem like queens. Paro can’t be both...can she? Anu Chouhan’s vibrant, energetic illustrations emphasize themes of creative flexibility and navigating the intersections of different cultural identities.  

MAHAK JAIN writes for young people and adults. Her picture book Maya (illustrated by Elly Mackay) was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a CBC Books Best Book of the Year, and winner of the 2017 South Asia Book Award. Mahak lives in Toronto, ON.

Anu Chouhan is a Punjabi-Canadian illustrator and former mobile game artist from Vancouver, BC. A trained animator and character designer, Anu often combines her love of her cultural heritage, anime, and global fashion into her art. She enjoys creating art that celebrates diversity and empowerment.