Priya's Not-So-Perfect Brand-New Outfit by Srividhya Venkat (Author) and Vaishnavi Dukhande (Illustrator)

Priya feels like all she ever gets are hand-me-downs and she is sick of it. She works hard to earn money so that she can buy her own outfit that feels just right. She finds a glorious pavadai (a Tamil word used for a traditional two-piece outfit consisting of a blouse and skirt worn by young girls in South India).

Priya is excited to debut her new pavadai at her family's reunion, but things quickly begin to go awry. At first, Priya feels like she has failed her pavadai and her past self who yearned for a new outfit, but then some of her family shares how to mend and clean the pavadai. Then, Priya's family talks about the fun stories behind the imperfections in their outfits--imperfections Priya had not even noticed before.

In the end, Priya is about to think back on her hand-me-downs and how memories can be imparted on clothing and how those then add a different kind of value.

As a kid who also grew up with her share of hand-me-downs, I completely understand Priya and that urge to have something that is perfectly yours. Priya's Not-So-Perfect Brand-New Outfit shares this relatable feeling while imparting a message of finding meaning in sharing and normalizing making some messes as a kid. Author Srividhya Venkat's heartwarming prose amplifies these messages and makes reading the picture book a lovely experience.

As a final note on Venkat's text, Priya's Not-So-Perfect Brand-New Outfit includes some words in Tamil (a language spoken in parts of southern India). If Tamil is an unfamiliar language to you (like it was to me), the book includes a pronunciation and meaning guide at the back so that readers (young and old) can learn both how to say the words and what they mean.

As a picture book, it's important that I touch on the artwork. Illustrator Vaishnavi Dukhande perfectly conveys how Priya is feeling throughout the book. Her use of color (especially saturation and light) amplifies Priya's emotions. Also, how the kids are drawn throughout the book are just downright sweet. Dukhande is also able to deftly convey movement in her illustrations which gives extra life to this book.

Priya's Not-So-Perfect Brand-New Outfit is a wonderful picture that conveys familiar feelings and has the potential to teach readers a new way to look at memories.

Priya's Not-So-Perfect Brand-New Outfit by Srividhya Venkat (Author) and Vaishnavi Dukhande (Illustrator), Capstone