Zenia Wadhwani
Storyteller
‘Twas the Night Before Diwali
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by Zenia Wadhwani
Illustrations by Manon Lariviere
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On the eve of Diwali, the jalebis, chum chums and gulab jamuns are piled high!
But who is the surprise guest that shows up? And where, oh where, are the mithai?
Enjoy this South Asian rendition of a familiar holiday poem
and the introduction of a new character to the much celebrated festival of Diwali.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Illustrator
Manon Lariviere
Manon Lariviere left her hometown to train as a classical ballet dancer with the prestigious Eddy Toussaint Dance Academy in Montreal. She later became a dance instructor for young children while pursuing studies in graphic design and animation at the CEGEP du vieux Montreal.
Over the past 10 years as a freelance illustrator, she has given life to her own imaginary world through numerous projects including children’s books, school manuals, marketing and publicity campaigns, working for some of Montreal’s top publishers.
Manon's colorful imagination has no boundaries; she has built her reputation on creating original characters that evoke an enchantment with the whimsical. Her work can be found here as well as the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Ste-Justine Hospital.​​
It Takes a Village
Sabina Shahani
Editor
Sabina began her career as an elementary teacher in Canada. She currently works as an Environmental Education Teacher Ambassador for DC Public Schools and in 2019 was awarded Teacher of the Year by EcoRise. When she's not teaching, she loves to take early morning walks, bake with her son and teach Bollywood dance to the kids in her neighbourhood. Sabina lives in Bethesda, MD and is a mom to a future author/illustrator named Nikhil.
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Vishal Shahani
Production Design
Vishal is a creative professional raised in Toronto, currently residing in Boston. His passion for art came at an early age and was cultivated throughout his youth. Vishal's experience and expertise in production art and graphic design is wide, but his specialty is in packaging design and marketing. Vishal has a huge sweet tooth and his favourite Indian mithai is freshly made jalebis.
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And to all the kiddos who gave nothing but honest feedback of mithai monster - thank you!
Love you forever Avani Sharma, Venya B., Sofia, Siona & Kamren Duggal; Ishaan, Keiyona & Tamira Manocha;
Nikhil Malkani; Nehaa Motwani; Krish Raman; Anika Seegobin; and Vedyn, Kian & Talun Wadhwani.