The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar

Synopsis: 

“Harpreet Singh loves his colors—but when his family moves to a new city, everything just feels gray. Can he find a way to make life bright again?

Harpreet Singh has a different color for every mood and occasion, from pink for dancing to bhangra beats to red for courage. He especially takes care with his patka—his turban—smoothing it out and making sure it always matches his outfit. But when Harpreet’s mom finds a new job in a snowy city and they have to move, all he wants is to be invisible. Will he ever feel a happy sunny yellow again?”

Review:

The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar is a beautiful story with Sikh representation. Supriya managed something in this book that is extremely difficult in just 32 pages. She was able to combine colors, feelings/emotions, and culture in a way that balanced perfectly for the age group. I was so excited to see a Sikh family in this story! Especially as main characters, as most times you’ll see Sikh supporting characters. The illustrations aren’t to be ignored. They’re filled with bright colors and a beautiful play in balance to show Haspeet’s emotions throughout the story.

Harpreet’s feelings dictate the color of his patka he wears for the day – yellow for sunny, happy days, pink for celebration, and red for a little extra courage. But, when Harpreet’s family has to move, he chooses colors like blue, gray, and white as he’s nervous, sad, and just wants to be invisible. Slowly, Harpreet begins to make new friends and gives his new home a chance and his brightly colored patkas begin to appear again as he becomes more comfortable!

For similar types of books to The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar that include concepts and cultural representation, try Green Is a Chili Pepper and Red is a Dragon by Roseanne Thong. If you’re looking for more books with Sikh representation, check out Kaur Life’s blog post – Sikhs in Childen’s Books.

Need to Know:

Title: The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh
Author: Supriya Kelkar
Illustrator: Alea Marley
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Page Number: 32 pgs.