Raakhee Mirchandani

Satya is convinced that she will have a terrible day without her superhero cape, which is at the dry cleaners. But after she saves the day, not once but twice - first by finding a friend's lost toy, and then by reuniting a scared puppy with his distraught owner - she realizes that she has everything she needs to be Super Satya, with or without the cape...

A debut picture-book for author Raakhee Mirchandani, Super Satya Saves the Day pairs an engaging story about finding one's courage with appealing cartoon-style artwork from illustrator Tim Palin. The story here reminded me a bit of Kelly DiPucchio's Super Manny Stands Up!, which also features a child, a superhero cape, and an effort to help other children. I appreciated the fact that Satya is Indian-American, as this demographic is still under-represented in American children's books. I further appreciated the fact that her family is Sikh - something indicated in the artwork - as I don't think that any of the children's books I have read that do feature Indian-American characters, have anyone from that religion. This is the first title I have read from Bharat Babies, a new publishing venture intended to promote children's books featuring Indian-American characters and stories, but I certainly hope it won't be the last!… (meer)