• Age: 8 to 9
• Grade: 3 to 4

Central to this story is a young Sikh boy, who explores what it means to be "different just like you''. The first page turn encourages deeper conversations about identity and belonging with the question: "Do you know who I am?" Join this little human's quest of self-discovery through the metaphor of a lion's mane. The narrative's rhythm flows alongside the red fabric of a dastaar (turban worn by members of the Sikh community), strengthening the character's identity with each new word stitched into the dastaar. "When we learn something new, it makes each of us stronger." Skipping Stones Honor Book Award Winner for Multicultural and International Awareness.

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Jaspreet Sandhu's profile page

Jaspreet Sandhu is VP of Development at Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, with past experience as Senior Director of Marketing at TIFF. Jaspreet also runs her illustration practice Back to Punjab in partnership with her husband, and illustrated the award-winning children's book A Lion's Mane. Her extensive volunteer experience highlights her passion for building communities for high-impact not-for-profits.

Several years ago, a little boy entered a second-grade class. He was a real leader in his class, with a great sense of humor and full of curiosity. His classmates flocked to the "new boy", even though he was very different, because he wore a "lion's mane". He visited the library every day, and although he was a great reader, I always felt at a loss, because I wasn't able to offer him a book that was a mirror. Although, he happily read any middle grade book he could find, he wasn't seeing himself. These are the books I wish I had had. A Lion's Mane would have been a wonderful read aloud to help his new classmates learn more about his culture and background. I can just imagine the classroom discussion that would have erupted! The kids would have had so many questions and he would have loved answering them! I especially appreciated the glossary and pronunciation guide at the end of the book. - Susan, Goodreads/Red Canoe Reader ---A rich picture book that travels the world to show the connections between the main character's "lion's mane" to others as it connects their flowing, red dastaar ("the fabric tied into a turban") to lions in many different cultures. A truly inventive concept and a story that is illuminating, uniting, kind, and inspiring.

"It takes wisdom to use our words and explain who we are. When we learn something new, it makes each of us stronger." - Danielle Davis, Goodreads/This Picture Book Life