Meet the Author
Puja Suri is a Canadian Certified Counselor and children’s yoga instructor. She has a passion for inclusion and has spent many years advocating for people with disabilities. In 2016, she was awarded the Certificate of Appreciation by Vantage for her valuable contributions within her community. Puja is the founder of Seva Girl, a fundraising-based initiative that supports organizations that educate and empower women and children. Her love for self-acceptance is incorporated in Mamta’s Lovely Mustache, which is based on her life, but with a fun twist.
Details
Format: Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 32
ISBN HC: 978-1-958754-47-4
ISBN PB: 978-1-958754-48-1
Release Date: 9/14/2023
Endorsements
“Suri has crafted a story that radiates all of the most important things for our children to embrace: being authentic, letting yourself shine as you are, and not dimming your light or erasing your edges to please the nonsensical whims of society. It’s what’s inside that matters! We grow hair everywhere—and that is normal. Be brave. Be who you are! Be kind to others. We all deserve to be included.
“As much as this is a book written for children (I can’t wait to read it to my four-year-old daughter), it serves up a healthy dose of contemplation for myself as a hair-removing, makeup-wearing, appearance-aware woman.
“Why is it that hair is admired on our heads and frowned upon on our faces? Rewriting expectations for girls and women is an ambitious undertaking that is too rarely addressed and so badly needed. Mamta’s Lovely Mustache takes this on with sensitivity, creativity, and wisdom.”
—Salima Stanley-Bhanji, mama, filmmaker, lawyer, and co-founder of @Humainologie
“This book is so heartwarming, honest, and powerful! I read it over and over and repeated the affirmations to myself even as an adult. This is such an important message about acceptance, celebration, and friendship with so much fun in it. Thank you, Puja, for sharing Mamta’s story.”
—Anshu Stephen, BSSC, trauma-informed coach, and founder of @fillyourjar
“This important book shares a specific example of a student who is made fun of for being different from others because of her mustache. Puja pulls the reader into the fears and sadness of Mamta on her first day of school. She shows us the courage we all have inside ourselves to be proud of who we are, no matter our differences. This story is a true triumph that will lead readers into conversations about their differences, where they can find courage, and how these differences are what make them sparkle.”
—Shannon Hutchison, owner of Beyond Our Image
“Mamta’s Lovely Mustache is in fact lovely. This is a story about diversity and acceptance, and a little glitter, that reminds us that we are better when we value all our differences!”
—Naheed K. Nenshi, mayor of Calgary, 2010-2021
Meet the Illustrator
Michelle Simpson is a full-time illustrator based out of the Niagara Region of Canada. She graduated with a BAA in illustration from Sheridan College. Michelle’s main focus is on children’s book illustrations and educational material for kids. She has worked with many large publishing houses and has also created concept artwork and final backgrounds for season two of the children’s TV show Ollie: The Boy Who Became What He Ate and season one of Tee and Mo.
