Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

Always Anjali

Illustrated by Jessica Blank
Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
Hardcover
$18.99 US
8.25"W x 10.25"H x 0.34"D  
On sale Apr 25, 2023 | 40 Pages | 9780593648834
Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile AD550L | Fountas & Pinnell M
Meet Anjali! She's the spunky star of this picture book with a timeless message about appreciating what makes us special and honoring our different identities.

Anjali and her friends are excited to buy matching personalized license plates for their bikes--but Anjali can't find a plate with her name. She is often teased about her "different" name, and this is the last straw. Anjali is so upset that she demands her parents let her pick a new name! When they refuse, Anjali decides to take a closer look at who she is--beyond her name--and why being different means being marvelous

Actress and activist Sheetal Sheth has penned a deeply personal picture book about the experience of feeling othered and the journey toward embracing yourself.
© David Goddard
Sheetal Sheth is an acclaimed actress, producer, author, and activist. She has starred in more than feature films and TV shows. Sheetal supports marginalized communities through her work as an actor and by appearing at workshops and panels to speak directly to issues facing those communities. She is an outspoken advocate, and has delivered talks and keynotes at festivals and charity galas. She has had op-eds published on CNN, the Daily Beast, and Thrive Global. She served in President Clinton's AmeriCorps and is currently on the advisory board of Equality Now and an ambassador for the Representation Project, founded by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the First Partner of California. Sheetal is also the author of Always Anjali and Making Happy. View titles by Sheetal Sheth
Jessica Blank features strong connections to family and nature in her work. She crafts images that move between traditional drawing practices and digital painting. She graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in illustration and received her MFA in graphic design from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Jessica lives in the East Texas Piney Woods with her family. View titles by Jessica Blank

Classroom Activities for Always Anjali

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

"The book’s message is laudable, and the protagonist is delightfully sparkly ... It’s an affirming read that will resonate with many readers." —Kirkus Reviews
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

About

Meet Anjali! She's the spunky star of this picture book with a timeless message about appreciating what makes us special and honoring our different identities.

Anjali and her friends are excited to buy matching personalized license plates for their bikes--but Anjali can't find a plate with her name. She is often teased about her "different" name, and this is the last straw. Anjali is so upset that she demands her parents let her pick a new name! When they refuse, Anjali decides to take a closer look at who she is--beyond her name--and why being different means being marvelous

Actress and activist Sheetal Sheth has penned a deeply personal picture book about the experience of feeling othered and the journey toward embracing yourself.

Author

© David Goddard
Sheetal Sheth is an acclaimed actress, producer, author, and activist. She has starred in more than feature films and TV shows. Sheetal supports marginalized communities through her work as an actor and by appearing at workshops and panels to speak directly to issues facing those communities. She is an outspoken advocate, and has delivered talks and keynotes at festivals and charity galas. She has had op-eds published on CNN, the Daily Beast, and Thrive Global. She served in President Clinton's AmeriCorps and is currently on the advisory board of Equality Now and an ambassador for the Representation Project, founded by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the First Partner of California. Sheetal is also the author of Always Anjali and Making Happy. View titles by Sheetal Sheth
Jessica Blank features strong connections to family and nature in her work. She crafts images that move between traditional drawing practices and digital painting. She graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in illustration and received her MFA in graphic design from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Jessica lives in the East Texas Piney Woods with her family. View titles by Jessica Blank

Guides

Classroom Activities for Always Anjali

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Praise

"The book’s message is laudable, and the protagonist is delightfully sparkly ... It’s an affirming read that will resonate with many readers." —Kirkus Reviews

Photos

additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more