When your parents come from different countries, it sets you apart from other children, racially and culturally.

It is the case of Bandati, who faces some challenges due to his not-so-ordinary situation. He is a little boy whose parents come from different countries – the Elephant-country and the Monkey-country (referring to India and France but not named in the book to make it available to a wider audience of cross-bred kids). Having this double cultural and racial background sets him apart from other children and it is not always easy for him to understand why. Some questions – very frequently asked – like “Where are you from?” – are a bit difficult from him to answer. He sometimes gets annoyed to be so different, but he also realizes that he is lucky to have such an opening onto the world.

Luckily, his parents are there to help him find the words to address them. And to help him realise he has the power to turn his difference into a strength.

The book shows Bandati in different situations, highlighting how he feels and the ways he finds to deal with his emotions of a not-so-ordinary kid.

Here we go, Bandati, the book, is available in English in paperback and e-book almost everywhere!

I'd be happy to courrier it anywhere, just send me a at indiansamourai@gmail.com Otherwise:

In India:

• On the site of my publisher Notionpress
• En français sur Amazon.in
• In English on Amazon.in
• On Flipkart.in 

In other countries:

• En français sur Amazon.fr
• In English on Amazon.fr
• In the US on Amazon.com
• In the UK on Amazon.co.uk 
• In Australia on Amazon.com.au
• In Canada on Amazon.ca (soon)
• On the other Amazon sites (soon)

For the ebook:

• Google play
  
• Kindle
• Kobo

Or by asking me directly by mail: indiansamourai@gmail.com

For buying the book in French, visit this page!

Enjoy Bandati!!

In life, there are the “what if we did that…” challenges that remain in the realm of fantasy and those that become reality. On April 27, 2020, in the middle of the Indian lockdown, I told a friend, “Let’s write a children’s book about mixed families.”

Now, you may think that writing a text of less than 1000 words isn’t a very big deal. Well, think again! (Especially when a friend suggests you write in rhyme, and especially when you’re going for a bilingual edition, since you are at it.) You may think that finding an illustrator can not be very difficult? Wrong! I haven’t found a person able to picture the right Bandati and wouldn’t cost me more than I would ever earn with this book. So guess what? Yes, I did the illustrations myself, even though I have never really held a pencil in my life... I’m not asking you if you think it’s easy to find a publisher. I tried a lot, hoping I could rely on the advice and reassurance of an expert! But I ended up going for self-publishing.

But enough of me, me, me… Bandati is a book for children (3-7 years old) relating the adventures of Bandati whose parents come from different countries. It is largely inspired by my son and his French-Indian roots but I really wanted the book to work for as many mixed kids as possible so I have used animal characters. I hope it will help parents like me, help them explaining to their kids why there are so many languages ​around them, so many religions to observe, physical differences, and time difference to take into account to call the grandparents.

Enjoy!!