Meet The Author
About Avani
Avani Chhaya, a Midwest native with roots that span across oceans, is an avid storyteller. She is beaming about publishing her first book, Lakshmi at the Lake. She brings a background filled with teaching, nonprofit work, and educational policy. Avani aspires to tell stories that spotlight the beauty of the South Asian experience.
Avani’s work featured has been featured in the Library Love Story and the Common Ground Series on KUT, ORANGE Magazine, VISIBLE Magazine, Reappropriate, Wilderness House Literary Review, The Austin Chronicle, The Liberator Magazine, Red Weather, and in Elisabet Ney's Suffrage Now Exhibit.
Read more about her books below!
Lakshmi at the Lake
Book Description
Lakshmi’s week is chock-full of adventure! From admiring sprawling cypress trees with Mama to birding with Daddy, and packing parathas for picnics with Nani, Lakshmi is eager to explore every inch of the great outdoors. But she soon realizes there is much more to each place than meets the eye. What will she uncover at the lake? In a stirring story about the joys of being in nature, author Avani Chhaya reminds us that the greatest experiences, and even greater discoveries, can often be made in our own backyard and shared with the ones we love.
How To Buy This Book
Purchase Lakshmi at the Lake here, directly at Stirred Stories. You can also find Lakshmi at the Lake on Bookshop.org, Barnesandnoble.com, Amazon.com, and Walmart.com. Happy reading!
Let’s Go Bird-Watching!
Come along and let's go birding with the characters in Lakshmi at the Lake by making a set of homemade binoculars.
Supply List:
• Two toilet paper rolls
• Twine or ribbon
• Glue or tape
• Stickers
Begin by having the adult / caregiver make a small hole in each toilet paper roll. Tie the twine to the toilet paper roll on each side. Then, glue or tape the toilet paper rolls together with the twine facing out. Now, it's time to decorate your binoculars! For our binoculars, we chose nature-themed stickers for a mess-free activity.
Now, we are ready to explore the beautiful outdoors with our homemade binoculars!
Finding Lakshmi at the Lake on a library shelf is the sweetest treat.
Events
December 2024
Book Launch at Booked Evanston
February 2025
Storytime at Rogers Park Branch, Chicago Public Library
April 2025
Tabling at Evanston Ecology's Earth Day
I Spy…
Did you spot these items in Lakshmi at the Lake?
• One brown bear water bottle
• A sunflower satchel
• One mirrored kurta
• A gorilla book
Author's Note
My first book, Lakshmi at the Lake, has been such a labor of love. The characters in the book are modeled after my little family, and the illustrations include a few of our favorite things. As a writer, I am passionate about diversifying children's literature and ensuring that dynamic, multi-dimensional South Asian characters are brightly shown in books.
Storytime Stations
Station: Make your own animal
There were so many interesting animals in Lakshmi at the Lake! Construct your own animal with these supplies.
Station: I spy
Can you find these items in the book?
Station: Pack a picnic
Make a mango lassi & roll a paratha for your own picnic (just like Nani and Lakshmi!).
Indianapolis Public Library Indianapolis, IN
K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library Aberdeen, SD
Multnomah County Library Portland, OR
Schaumburg Township District Library Schaumburg, IL
St Charles Public Library Saint Charles, IL
Urbana Free Library Urbana, IL
Warren County Public Library Bowling Green, KY
Whitmore Library Cottonwood Heights, UT
Where can you find Lakshmi at the Lake?
Baltimore County Public Library Towson, MD
Billings Public Library Billings, MT
Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service Salem, OR
Ela Area Public Library District Lake Zurich, IL
Evanston Public Library Evanston, IL
Fountaindale Public Library District Bolingbrook, IL
Harold Washington Library Center Chicago, IL
Indian Prairie Public Library Darien, IL
