The Boy & the Bindi

I love lyrical picture books with colorful illustrations. If you do too, you’ll enjoy The Boy & the Bindi. Vivek Shraya tells the story of a boy who wants to wear a bindi, the red dot Southeast Asian women often wear on their foreheads to show where creation began. Instead of chastising him for wanting to do something reserved for women, the boy’s mother welcomes him into the beauty of the bindi, explaining its significance. This book does a wonderful job of meeting children who are exploring their gender exactly where they are. 

This book helps fill a huge need for picture books that celebrate children of different cultures who aren’t limited by gender. This story is about the loving relationship between mother and child. Each time I read it, I am awestruck by the artistry and touched by the message. The child is captivated by the dot that Ammi wears above her nose. Ammi explains “my bindi keeps me safe and true,” and places a bindi on the child’s forehead. Each page of prose with vivid hand-painted illustrations, tells us a little bit more about how wearing the bindi brings comfort, strength… show more.