Awesome Orange Birthday

Priya Chakraborty is a spirited and motivated party planner who recently started her own business and was immediately hired by Layla aunty. Priya begins writing a diary to keep track of all her party planning essentials. She started her business after she posted pictures of her younger brother’s birthday, a party where she had planned and decorated everything and had received many compliments.

Priya, being extremely organized and responsible, considers each aspect of the event carefully, especially Layla aunty’s likes and dislikes, with one of her aunt’s likes being the colour orange. As Priya is planning the orange themed party, she arranges for her grandmother to make pumpkin samosas and recruits her best friend Melissa to help make orange decorations. When the big day gets closer, Priya becomes more and more worried and anxious that she may have forgotten something. This concern really shows how much she cares about her aunt, the party, and that she understands the importance of the task she has undertaken. Priya explains she does not like surprises and doesn’t always know how to react, but she realizes that she does need help and graciously accepts assistance from her mom’s friends when she finds she has limited time before Layla aunty arrives at the party.

The party goes very well. Layla aunty is surprised, excited and moved by the special handmade gift. Priya is especially excited by her payment for the party which is a donation to her favourite animals, the quakkas, a small marsupial native to Australia, and Priya is looking forward to planning more parties.

Mitali Ruths has created quite a complex main character for a short book; Priya has a strong personality and a positive attitude. She remains brave and resilient when she is uncertain. At a young age, she is interested in environmental issues, eco-friendly alternatives and protecting animals. Priya is a great friend, and the story indicates she has lots of support from her family.

Awesome Orange Birthday, the first title in “The Party Diaries” series, will be appreciated by readers learning to be more confident in their decision-making skills and actions. Priya is a great role model; she shows that anything is possible with determination, good planning and help from friends and family.

The illustrations by Aaliya Jaleel are fun, bold and creative, and readers see Priya’s expressions clearly throughout the pages. There is a slight comic style to the graphics, with the speech bubbles and a lined paper-look to imitate a diary. Jaleel’s illustrations appear on every page, thereby breaking up the speech and story into smaller, easier to read sections, and this format is great for readers moving into chapter books.

There are DIY activities at the end of Awesome Orange Birthday which encourage readers to recreate some of their own decorations straight from the story. As well, there are follow-up questions which are a great way for readers to engage in the story and which encourage them to think deeply about what they have just read. The questions touch on quakkas, Priya’s feelings, and haiku’s, all topics that might be overlooked on a first read.