Lakshmi at the Lake

Lakshmi’s week is chock-full of adventure! From admiring sprawling cypress trees with Mama to birding with Daddy, and packing parathas for picnics with Nani, Lakshmi is eager to explore every inch of the great outdoors. But she soon realizes there is much more to each place than meets the eye. What will she uncover at the lake? In a stirring story about the joys of being in nature, author Avani Chhaya reminds us that the greatest experiences, and even greater discoveries, can often be made in our own backyard and shared with the ones we love.

Author Avani Chhaya, a Midwest native with roots that span across oceans, is an avid storyteller. She is beaming about publishing her first book, Lakshmi at the Lake. She brings a background filled with teaching, nonprofit work, and educational policy. Avani aspires to tell stories that spotlight the beauty of the South Asian experience.

Lakshmi at the Lake taps seamlessly into the curiosity of a child discovering the wonders of the natural world. Through beautiful illustrations, and simple but effective storytelling that celebrates one of the various cultures that make up the tapestry of this country, the book also encapsulates what a modern Indian-American family looks like. By the end of this book, I wanted to join Lakshmi and her family down by the lake. — Vishakha Darbha, Audio Producer at The New York Times and contributor to award-winning anthology my culture is not a costume