Padma Venkatraman Author Storytime

Join us for a very special author storytime at Blue Bunny Books! Award-winning author Padma Venkatraman will read her beautifully moving debut picture book, FARAWAY FAMILY.

With gorgeous art by Nicole Wong, FARAWAY FAMILY shows the joy of connecting through imaginative play and beautifully captures the growing bond between a little girl and her grandmother. This book is extremely relatable for young readers whose extended family lives far away and shows that it is okay to take time to warm up and connect through shared experiences.

Padma will sign books after the storytime!

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Making friends with faraway relatives you’ve never met can be a little daunting at first, but this family finds a unique way to connect.

It’s a joyous occasion when you get to visit family who live miles away, after a long time apart. But sometimes it takes a while to connect. That’s what happens to the little girl in this book—when she first sees her faraway family, they feel like strangers. To make matters worse, the power goes out at bedtime, and that means no more night-light. Then a flashlight beam appears—it’s her grandmother, who invites her into a lively game of shadow play. And soon the two of them are having a grand adventure, and the girl’s faraway family start feeling more like friends. Award-winning author Padma Venkatraman’s picture book debut shows the joy of connecting through imaginative play, and Nicole Wong’s evocative illustrations bring the story to brilliant life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Padma Venkatraman was born in India and became an American after living in five countries and working as an oceanographer. She wrote the novels Safe Harbor, Born Behind Bars (South Asia Book Award, Junior Library Guild Selection), The Bridge Home (Walter Award, Golden Kite Award, Global Read Aloud Selection), A Time to Dance (IBBY Selection, ALA Notable), Island’s End (CCBC Choice, Kirkus Best Book for Teens), and Climbing the Stairs (ALA Amelia Bloomer List, Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People). Faraway Family is her first picture book. She lives in Rhode Island. You can find her online at PadmaVenkatraman.com.