Concerned about the pollution the Ganesha statues cause when her town celebrates her favorite festival, Ganesha Chaturthi, young Prema comes up with an innovative plan to keep the river clean. During her town's Ganesha Chaturthi festival, young Prema comes up with an innovative plan to save the river from pollution. Persevering through multiple obstacles, she convinces her friends to help her create natural clay Ganesha statues to replace the plaster ones that harm the river when they dissolve. Created by an author and artist from different parts of India and set in modern-day India, this inclusive tale of activism, ingenuity and sustainability is sure to inspire young readers. Endnotes include information about Ganesha Chaturthi, a recipe for homemade sculpting dough and instructions for making an earth-friendly statue. AGES: 5 to 9 AUTHOR: CBA Grad, and SCBWI and 12x12 member, Lakshmi Thamizhmani divides her time between her corporate tech job, daydreaming and writing. After moving from India to the United States, she began writing for newspapers, but then discovered a passion for creative writing instead. Lakshmi now writes beautiful, lesser-known stories to bridge cultures and transport children to new worlds to learn and celebrate diversity. Debasmita Dasgupta is an internationally published, Kirkus Best Prize-nominated illustrator, graphic novelist and screenwriter. She was born in Kolkata and lived in Singapore for more than a decade. Debasmita enjoys drawing both fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. She has illustrated many picture books, comics and poems working with publishers in various parts of the world including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, the UK and the USA. As an art-for-change advocate, she tells stories of changemakers from around the world partnering with global non-profits. Debasmita also mentors aspiring and emerging visual storytellers in Asia. Today she lives in the United Kingdom. SELLING POINTS: . GLOBAL: Set in modern India, this story brings a fresh environmental and contemporary perspective to the ancient Hindu Ganesha Chaturthi festival . SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING: The caring protagonist perseveres through multiple obstacles to reach her goal . STEAM & Sustainability: The main character is a ?maker? who innovates to create solutions that protect the environment
