Sailaja Joshi of Mango and Marigold Press Brings Storytime to the Garden!

We were so excited to welcome Sai to the Growing Center to record her sharing two of her wonderful books from her publishing company, Mango and Marigold with our friends and neighbors, as well as some of our partners who work with children and families in Somerville.

The story of Mango and Marigold Press starts with its founder, Sailaja. While waiting for the birth of her first child she searched for books about her Indian culture. She found very few, and in the ones she did find, the representation was often inappropriate or insensitive. She knew there was magic for kids in being able to see themselves represented on the page, in the extraordinary or the ordinary, and from that understanding her company was born.

Mango and Marigold Press is an award-winning independent publishing house that shares the sweet and savory stories of the South Asian experience and ensures that all children can see themselves as the heroes of their own stories, realizing anything is possible.

Sai read to us from Finding Om, a story by Rashmi Bismark with pictures by Morgan Huff, and Bindiya in India, by Monique Chheda, MD, illustrated by Debasmita Dasgupta.

To watch the delightful readings that Sai did, please head to our Virtual Programming page, here.

And to learn more out more about Mango and Marigold Press, visit their website.

Thank you to the Somerville Health Foundation for supporting the Growing Center’s work to continue to create equitable and accessible experiences in nature and to support children’s mental health. Positive representation of all children is so important. Also, thank you to Liza Kitchell, of the Friends of the Community Growing Center, for support with making and editing these videos.

Paula Jordan

Children in Nature Initiative Coordinator