A Bindi Can Be ...

hardcover Synopsis A young girl makes a bindi with her grandmother and discovers what wearing one means to her. A young girl is eager to learn all about bindis, the red dot that goes between her brows. Paati, her grandmother, shows her how to make a bindi in a clay pot by combining crushed turmeric, sandalwood powder and a dollop of ghee. They mix and mix and mix until, like magic, the mixture turns from yellow to bright red. Her bindi can be big or small, and shaped like a star, a flower or a glowing half-moon. She can wear her bindi to celebrate different festivals, such as Diwali, or on an ordinary day as a way to stay centered and calm. In this way, she discovers that her bindi is more than just a dot. Author Suma Subramaniam is the author of the picture books Namaste Is a Greeting and She Sang for India. Her writing has appeared in The Hero Next Door, a collection of short stories from We Need Diverse Books. Suma holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Born