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by Darshana Khiani & Abhilasha Khatri
Thank you Tara for having us on the blog. We are so excited to tell you about our new book and reveal the cover!
You asked how this book was formed. Before I answer, you should know I’m the type of person who needs a pending critique meeting or a class assignment to be motivated to write a new draft. First drafts are torturous! It should be no surprise that MONGOOSE’S HOLI PARTY started from a contest.
Many of you may have heard of Susanna Hill’s writing contests throughout the year. In 2014, she had a spring writing contest and it had to be a fractured fairytale. Back then there weren’t many light-hearted, funny South Asian stories. I decided to cross “The Little Red Hen” story with a group of animals in the Indian jungle who wanted to throw a Holi Party.
Holi is a Hindu holiday celebrating Spring. It’s about friends, family, friendship, and forgiveness. It’s a time for new beginnings. I had so much fun brainstorming this mash-up—trying to figure out which elements to keep while weaving Indian culture. My favorite aspect of the story was creating colorful personalit-driven excuses for Mongoose’s not-so-helpful friends. I am fortunate Abilasha signed on to illustrate. Her charming sweet style is perfect for making these playful characters come alive.
Here are a few words from Abhilasha:
Some picture books are simply a joy to work on—and MONGOOSE’S HOLI PARTY was one of those projects that had me smiling from the very beginning. I had so much fun bringing the animal characters to life, giving each their own personality, and capturing the joyful chaos of Holi through colour, movement, food and little details for children to discover. I was also incredibly lucky to work with an awesome team who gave me the creative freedom to explore, experiment and truly enjoy the process. It was such a lovely experience illustrating this heartwarming story about friendship, showing up for each other, and the joy of celebrating together!
MONGOOSE’S HOLI PARTY releases February 23, 2027 from Beaming Books!
Darshana Khiani is an author, engineer, and advocate for South Asian children’s literature. She is infinitely curious about the world and enjoys sharing her findings with young readers. If she can make a child laugh even better. Her debut picture book, How to Wear a Sari (Versify), was an Amazon Editors’ Pick. She enjoys hiking, solving jigsaw puzzles, and traveling. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Abhilasha Khatri is a Children’s Book Illustrator based in Nashik, near Mumbai, India. She has illustrated several picture books and chapter books and is best known for the “My Festival Series” books, published by Eternal Tree Books and the Divya chapter book series published by Capstone Publishing. When she isn’t drawing, Abhilasha enjoys watching movies and architectural documentaries, tending to her garden, and exploring new places with her husband and daughter.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 