Publishers Weekly
★ 02/01/2021
Laxmi, a softly round Indian American girl with golden brown skin and two black braids, narrates this body hair–normalizing tale. When Laxmi’s friends Zoe and Noah—a lanky blond and a plump yarmulke-wearing child—point out the “little hairs on your lip” during a game of animal make-believe, Laxmi hurries to the mirror. Suddenly self-conscious of her mooch—mustache in Hindi—Laxmi hides her upper lip, worries that kids are mocking her, and notices “hair all over my body”: arms, eyebrows, knuckles, and legs. Arriving home, she’s distraught—but her parents soon dispel her concerns with humor and heart. Debut author Anand’s dialogue feels both genuine and gentle, incorporating Hindi with ease (“Nahi! You know, we come from a long line of women with moochay”). Warm, expressive digital illustrations by Ali (All the Way to the Top), meanwhile, feature a hijabi teacher and classmates with varying skin tones and hair textures. A joyfully affirmative picture book with a winning first-person point of view. Endpapers feature a Hindi-English picture glossary. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Saba Sulaiman, Talcott Notch Literary. Illustrator’s agent: James Burns, the Bright Agency. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
PRAISE FOR LAXMI'S MOOCH
As seen on The Today Show!
“Joyful!...[a] positive story about seeing your own differences and being excited about them!” —Jasmine Guillory
Three starred reviews!
A New York Public Library Spring 2021 Staff Pick!
A Charlotte Huck Honor Book!
A 2022 ALSC Notable Children’s Book!
A 2022 ALA RISE: A Feminist Book Project List selection!
* “Debut author Anand skillfully balances humor with sincerity, crafting a narrator who is both vulnerable and powerful, while Abi contributes sunny-humored illustrations ... Laxmi’s journey is both accessible and authentic, and it is a true pleasure to watch her not only embrace her own body, but also teach her classmates how to embrace theirs as well.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review.
* "A joyfully affirmative picture book with a winning first-person point of view." — Publishers Weekly, starred review.
* "Anand's story is simple and purposeful, but it's a much-needed purpose, sweetly delivering a message of body positivity around a common insecurity that is rarely addressed." — Booklist, starred review.
"Readers of all ages will appreciate the message of self-love presented within Laxmi’s story, which takes on body positivity for a relatively young audience in an uplifting way." —School Library Journal
"Readers invited to watch Laxmi grow may also gain some confidence to celebrate their own bodies no matter what they look like—or where their hair may grow." —Shelf Awareness
School Library Journal
01/01/2021
Gr 1–3—Laxmi is a South Asian girl, sporting dark hair, tan skin, and tiny dark hairs above her upper lip. Her mooch, or mustache, becomes the topic of conversation one day at school, causing Laxmi to become extremely self-conscious about all of her body hair. At home, Laxmi asks her parents about her mooch; they, in return, quell Laxmi's insecurities by comparing her to other beautiful people and creatures who have hair elsewhere than their heads. The next day, Laxmi proudly displays her mooch, inviting her classmates to celebrate their own—real or not—along with her. Beautifully illustrated using a wide array of colors, Laxmi's world is filled with people of many skin shades, body types, and cultural backgrounds. The images pair delightfully with the text, propelling the story forward and connecting readers to Laxmi and her life. Additionally, Laxmi invites readers into her story at the beginning and the end, breaking the fourth wall and making children feel seen in a safe, friendly way. Mid-length text makes this story well suited to kids, whether as a read aloud or an independent read. Hindi words blend seamlessly into the dialogue, requiring no translation; however, these words also appear on the endpapers with accompanying visuals to reiterate this potentially new vocabulary. VERDICT Readers of all ages will appreciate the message of self-love presented within Laxmi's story, which takes on body positivity for a relatively young audience in an uplifting way.—Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L.
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2020-11-27
Laxmi, an Indian American elementary school student, has a mooch.
A mooch, Laxmi explains, is a sprinkling of hairs on her upper lip; it’s also the Hindi word for mustache. Laxmi is unaware of her mooch until her friends Zoe and Noah point it out during recess. At first, Laxmi is mortified—especially when she realizes she doesn’t have fine, dark hairs just on her top lip but all over her whole body. At the end of the day, she runs home to her parents, who react to her distress with humor and compassion. Mummy explains that Laxmi comes from generations of women with mooches. When Laxmi complains about the hair between her eyebrows, her parents compare her to feminist icon Frida Kahlo. Laxmi is still upset, but that night she dreams of tigers, and, appropriately, in the morning she has a whole new attitude—about herself and about her hair. Debut author Anand skillfully balances humor with sincerity, crafting a narrator who is both vulnerable and powerful, while Ali contributes sunny-humored illustrations that place the appealingly chubby, brown-skinned girl at the center of a diverse classroom headed by a hijabi teacher. Laxmi’s journey is both accessible and authentic, and it is a true pleasure to watch her not only embrace her own body, but also teach her classmates how to embrace theirs as well. A picture glossary of the Hindi vocabulary used appears on the endpapers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.5-by-22-inch spreads viewed at 22.5% of actual size.)
Fabulous, funny body positivity. (Picture book. 3-8)
