Henna Is ...
Henna Is ...
Henna is fragrance. Earthy. Nutty. Lemony. Clove-y. Unique, yet familiar. The fragrance of fields mingled with the scent of celebration. But henna is so much more…
Henna is nature. It is made from leaves which are picked and dried. Henna is proportion. Once you add lemon juice, sugar and oils, the powder turns into a paste. Henna is colour, orange, bright green, deep brown and black. Henna is texture, sticky, scratchy and crumbly. Henna Is ... is a beautiful and lyrical story, written in a poem-like style. Each pages starts with “henna is..” and continues with “But henna is so much more..” Without too much technical information, which is perfect for a picture book, author Marzieh Abbas, in an easy manner, explains where henna comes from and how it’s made,
Henna is a place: South Asian, North and East African, Middle Eastern. Henna is believed to have originated in North Africa around nine thousand years ago, and the tradition traveled east to other countries.
Henna is a technique; they are intricate painted patterns, each region has varying ways to darken the design and make it last longer. Henna is art, the patterns, symbols and motifs signify different multicultural backgrounds and regions.
Henna is function; it is beautiful and used to decorate the body but also to condition hair, cool the body, mark animals and even heal.
Henna is friendships; it is fun to do, a challenge to find hidden codes or have matching designs.
Henna is celebration; Eid, Diwali, weddings, birthdays, baby showers and gatherings. Henna is used on many special occasions across different traditional backgrounds.
Henna is tradition; it is joy and even more so it is identity.
This book introduces henna to those who are unfamiliar with it while also broadening the views of those that already love henna. There is lots of new information to discover, and the book’s contents show young readers how inclusive henna is.
Anu Chouhan’s illustrations are clear, bright and reminiscent of henna. The tones and hues are closely related to all the shades that henna can be. Each page has different henna patterns. That the clothing and henna are accurate to each culture shows the thought and research put into each image.
Nisha Prajapati is a librarian in Toronto, Ontario.