Laxmi's Mooch
- Downloads：6028
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-11 11:52:23
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Shelly Anand
- ISBN：1984815652
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A joyful， body-positive picture book about a young Indian American girl's journey to accept her body hair and celebrate her heritage after being teased about her mustache。
Laxmi never paid much attention to the tiny hairs above her lip。 But one day while playing farm animals at recess， her friends point out that her whiskers would make her the perfect cat。 She starts to notice body hair all over--on her arms， legs， and even between her eyebrows。
With her parents' help， Laxmi learns that hair isn't just for heads， but that it grows everywhere， regardless of gender。 Featuring affirming text by Shelly Anand and exuberant， endearing illustrations by Nabi H。 Ali， Laxmi's Mooch is a celebration of our bodies and our body hair， in whichever way they grow。
Laxmi never paid much attention to the tiny hairs above her lip。 But one day while playing farm animals at recess， her friends point out that her whiskers would make her the perfect cat。 She starts to notice body hair all over--on her arms， legs， and even between her eyebrows。
With her parents' help， Laxmi learns that hair isn't just for heads， but that it grows everywhere， regardless of gender。 Featuring affirming text by Shelly Anand and exuberant， endearing illustrations by Nabi H。 Ali， Laxmi's Mooch is a celebration of our bodies and our body hair， in whichever way they grow。
Reviews
Alison Marcotte
，
I love this picture book！ I wish I had this book when I was a kid。 I remember when I was in middle school in cross country and suddenly became self-conscious of my hairy legs because someone else pointed it out。 It hadn't crossed my mind until someone else put the thought in my head， and had said it in a way that implied I should be embarrassed。 That day after school， I tried shaving my legs — I ended up just having to wear Band-Aids all over my legs all week because I didn't even know how to sh I love this picture book！ I wish I had this book when I was a kid。 I remember when I was in middle school in cross country and suddenly became self-conscious of my hairy legs because someone else pointed it out。 It hadn't crossed my mind until someone else put the thought in my head， and had said it in a way that implied I should be embarrassed。 That day after school， I tried shaving my legs — I ended up just having to wear Band-Aids all over my legs all week because I didn't even know how to shave！ This picture book shows how we're implicitly and explicitly taught to be ashamed of our bodies at such a young age。 But with just a few changes， we can reframe the conversation and teach kids to be proud of their bodies， body hair and all！ 。。。more
Darcy
，
Just amazing。 The book my child self and adult self needed。 This book effectively tears down a common fear and transforms it into something beautiful。
Trevor
，
A truly lovely book about a girl embracing the little hairs on her lip， which in Hindi are called a mooch！
Narise
，
Soooo cute。 Great for kids to be reading about， and I LOVE the illustrations！
Molly
，
Very simple illustrations but a great message about self-acceptance and embracing the extra hair common among girls from different cultures。 Mostly focuses on Desi culture， but also brings in Frida Kahlo。
Chacha
，
I adore this story。
The Forest Clown
，
As a teenager， this book made me so happy。 A book about celebrating body hair rather than feeling shame around it 🥺Thank you so much for making this。 ❤️
Sarah
，
AMAZING！ I am so thankful that this books celebrates body hair and everyone's mooch （or mooch-less） faces。 AMAZING！ I am so thankful that this books celebrates body hair and everyone's mooch （or mooch-less） faces。 。。。more
Emma
，
5 out of 5 moustaches！！ 10 out of 10！ 100 out of 100 moustaches！！！
Lindsey
，
Adorable！
Jenn
，
So cute！ Please remember that we all have hair all over our bodies。
Amitha
，
Read this with my girls。 Utterly delightful and much needed book about loving your body hair。 💜 Proudly showed off my meesai to my girls。
Renee
，
Rock what you got！
Aliza Werner
，
Body positivity for the most natural ways a body exists。。。body hair。
Ettak
，
Adorable body positive picture book about Laxmi， who starts to worry when her school friends innocently point out that she has a small mooch， a mustache。 After revealing her distress over her mooch to her parents， they explain to her that hair isn't just for the head， everyone has a mooch and regale her with stories of other women who have a mooch。I especially loved the understated diversity supported in the illustrations （gender neutral bathrooms， their teacher wears hijab， classmates of variou Adorable body positive picture book about Laxmi， who starts to worry when her school friends innocently point out that she has a small mooch， a mustache。 After revealing her distress over her mooch to her parents， they explain to her that hair isn't just for the head， everyone has a mooch and regale her with stories of other women who have a mooch。I especially loved the understated diversity supported in the illustrations （gender neutral bathrooms， their teacher wears hijab， classmates of various ethnicities， Laxmi's parents have different skin tones）。The inside covers also include vocabulary illustrated and written in English， Hindi and Urdu！ 。。。more
Violet
，
A charming picture book filled with beautiful illustrations for beginner readers。 I was so thrilled to see the positive reception of body hair in this book for children—especially as a cultural representation for South Asian women with Hindi words woven throughout the text。The story is about a little girl， Laxmi。 She has never been bothered by her facial hair before， but when she’s teased at school for having a mooch （Hindi for mustache） her parents are quick to clarify it is nothing to be asham A charming picture book filled with beautiful illustrations for beginner readers。 I was so thrilled to see the positive reception of body hair in this book for children—especially as a cultural representation for South Asian women with Hindi words woven throughout the text。The story is about a little girl， Laxmi。 She has never been bothered by her facial hair before， but when she’s teased at school for having a mooch （Hindi for mustache） her parents are quick to clarify it is nothing to be ashamed of。 They share a long list of powerful women such as Mughal empresses， Rani， Frida Kahlo， and members within the family who have all had facial hair。 Soon enough， Laxmi cheers up， and the children at school—the ones who do not have a mooch—drawn one on with crayons in an attempt to share Laxmi’s pride in embracing who she is。 This is a beautiful story of acceptance and self-discovery。 。。。more
Jo Oehrlein
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Body positive about facial hair for girls， and points out that some girls have fine blond hair that isn't noticeable。I don't really think the other kids were making fun of her on the first day， though。 Body positive about facial hair for girls， and points out that some girls have fine blond hair that isn't noticeable。I don't really think the other kids were making fun of her on the first day， though。 。。。more
Christine Turner
，
A joyful， body-positive picture book about a young Indian American girl's journey to accept her body hair and celebrate her heritage after being teased about her mustache。 Laxmi never paid much attention to the tiny hairs above her lip。 But one day while playing farm animals at recess， her friends point out that her whiskers would make her the perfect cat。 She starts to notice body hair all over--on her arms， legs， and even between her eyebrows。With her parents' help， Laxmi learns that hair isn' A joyful， body-positive picture book about a young Indian American girl's journey to accept her body hair and celebrate her heritage after being teased about her mustache。 Laxmi never paid much attention to the tiny hairs above her lip。 But one day while playing farm animals at recess， her friends point out that her whiskers would make her the perfect cat。 She starts to notice body hair all over--on her arms， legs， and even between her eyebrows。With her parents' help， Laxmi learns that hair isn't just for heads， but that it grows everywhere， regardless of gender。 Featuring affirming text by Shelly Anand and exuberant， endearing illustrations by Nabi H。 Ali， Laxmi's Mooch is a celebration of our bodies and our body hair， in whichever way they grow。 。。。more
Tanya
，
Another win for body positivity—had never considered this topic， but so glad there is a book where others can see themselves and feel accepted。 Cute illustrations！ Wonderful parent role models too！
wildct2003
，
Cute story
Abbigail
，
Picture book about body positivity and girls having whiskery mustaches。 Plus the characters in this book are so sweet and cute and great （adults included）。 Very diverse cast of characters。
Peacegal
，
3。5 stars -- There's no reason for small kids to worry about something like having upper lip hair。 Young Laxmi is at first embarrassed when another kid points out her "whiskers，" but after an enlightening conversation with her parents， she learns a new way of thinking about her "mooch"--one of celebration--that she extends to the other kids in her classroom。 A diverse and positive story。 3。5 stars -- There's no reason for small kids to worry about something like having upper lip hair。 Young Laxmi is at first embarrassed when another kid points out her "whiskers，" but after an enlightening conversation with her parents， she learns a new way of thinking about her "mooch"--one of celebration--that she extends to the other kids in her classroom。 A diverse and positive story。 。。。more
Julianne
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Yes！ An adorable body positive story。 I wish this was around when I was little and was laughed at for my mooch。 Everyone has one， we should celebrate them。 :）
Nicole
，
I’m so glad that there are more and more children’s picture books that focus on acceptance。。。acceptance of themselves and of others。 This one is such a beautiful rendering of accepting our hairy human bodies。 I love how she calls the hair above her lip a “mooch” and how even though it made her super self-conscience when someone pointed it out that she embraced it after her parents let her know how other beautiful women in their culture and others had one too。 This book was just so cute！
Alissa Tsaparikos
，
I really loved this book。 Body positive， feminist， and diverse？ Yes please。 This story shows one little girl's journey to acceptance of her mooch （aka mustache）， as well as the natural growth of hair all over her body。 I loved that the there was a hugely diverse cast of kids， as well as the fact that several children are shown with more body weight， instead of skinny kids all around。 The main character is shown this way， and I think that this would have been something really important for me to I really loved this book。 Body positive， feminist， and diverse？ Yes please。 This story shows one little girl's journey to acceptance of her mooch （aka mustache）， as well as the natural growth of hair all over her body。 I loved that the there was a hugely diverse cast of kids， as well as the fact that several children are shown with more body weight， instead of skinny kids all around。 The main character is shown this way， and I think that this would have been something really important for me to see as a little kid who was always a bit chubby。 This book is also sprinkled with foreign words （Hindi？） that are easy to understand in the text with context clues as well as translated on the end flaps with illustrated accompaniment。 All around this is a very well done book that is a body positive anthem for all kids to benefit from。 I highly recommend it！ 。。。more
Annamarie Carlson （she， her）
，
Laxmi has a mooch （Hindi for "mustache"）。 She's never really thought about it until her classmates tell her that her "whiskers" make her a perfect pretend cat。 Laxmi gets upset， suddenly noticing the hair all over her body。 When she talks to her parents， she is reminded that she is beautiful--and she realizes that everyone has something that makes them unique （and some girls' "mooch" is easier to see than others。 So much body positivity here， and a reminder to love who you are。 I wasn't personal Laxmi has a mooch （Hindi for "mustache"）。 She's never really thought about it until her classmates tell her that her "whiskers" make her a perfect pretend cat。 Laxmi gets upset， suddenly noticing the hair all over her body。 When she talks to her parents， she is reminded that she is beautiful--and she realizes that everyone has something that makes them unique （and some girls' "mooch" is easier to see than others。 So much body positivity here， and a reminder to love who you are。 I wasn't personally quite as enticed by the part where Laxmi draws a mooch on kids who don't have one （with their permission）--I sort of wish we would have had a kid who was okay without having a mooch， real or fake。 But as a kid who was teased for dark hair on her arms--I definitely think this is a much needed book that needs to shared in classrooms everywhere。 。。。more
Awallens
，
This audiobook came up on the homepage of my local library。 Definitely get the audio if you can。 Great narrator， and great topic for young girls and everyone really。
Ame
，
Have whiskers， will roar！Love， love， love this one。 Children need more body positive books like this one because we're all covered with hair and beauty standards/marketing can be so pervasive as to make us forget that we're supposed to look like this and it's normal！ I remember when someone first pointed out my chin hairs and I was DEVASTATED。 I could've used this book years ago。 Have whiskers， will roar！Love， love， love this one。 Children need more body positive books like this one because we're all covered with hair and beauty standards/marketing can be so pervasive as to make us forget that we're supposed to look like this and it's normal！ I remember when someone first pointed out my chin hairs and I was DEVASTATED。 I could've used this book years ago。 。。。more
Harshita
，
This book is about self-acceptance。 I love the way Laxmi's mom addresses her concern about having mooch/mustache with great ease and positivity。 The dialogue between mom and daughter is empowering and makes Laxmi feel confident with her hairy skin。 The illustrations accompany the text very well， and I also enjoyed the endpapers with Hindi/English words。 A must-read。 This book is about self-acceptance。 I love the way Laxmi's mom addresses her concern about having mooch/mustache with great ease and positivity。 The dialogue between mom and daughter is empowering and makes Laxmi feel confident with her hairy skin。 The illustrations accompany the text very well， and I also enjoyed the endpapers with Hindi/English words。 A must-read。 。。。more
Reading Canuck
，
There’s so much to love and say about this book！ It celebrates body hair in a positive and uplifting way， with a fierce South Asian protagonist。Laxmi never really paid much attention to her mooch （mustache） until her friends innocently pointed it out to her during their animal game at recess。 They suggested that Laxmi should be a cat because of the whiskers above her lips。 Feeling upset， Laxmi turns to her family， who help her realize that women have always had mooches， from empresses to famous There’s so much to love and say about this book！ It celebrates body hair in a positive and uplifting way， with a fierce South Asian protagonist。Laxmi never really paid much attention to her mooch （mustache） until her friends innocently pointed it out to her during their animal game at recess。 They suggested that Laxmi should be a cat because of the whiskers above her lips。 Feeling upset， Laxmi turns to her family， who help her realize that women have always had mooches， from empresses to famous women to everyday girls。 Laxmi’s confidence grows and spreads to her peers， who also embrace their mooches。 Nobody feels left out， since the kids without mooches end up drawing mooches on their faces。 The illustrations are diverse and inclusive， with BIPOC children and an all-gender bathroom。 The Muslim teacher was refreshing because we’re so accustomed to seeing white women taking on this role in picture books。 This book includes Hindi words that are embedded within the text。 I love it so much because it’s so important for Hindi/Punjabi kids to hear and see their language in picture books！ Having the words translated into pictures and words at the beginning / end of the book is such a nice touch。 I cannot express how much I love this book。 As a South Asian girl growing up， I’ve always had a difficult relationship with hair， including the hair that grows on the top of my head。 I’ve felt conflicted because the teachings of Sikhism encourage keeping hair and not trimming， cutting or shaving any of it。 Why？ Because the gist of it is， we “should” be embracing the natural form we are in。 This was a difficult concept to grasp growing up， because I wanted to look a certain way and wished to get rid of all of the excess hair。 Having this hair made me feel insecure and self-conscious around others。 This book promotes body positivity and self-love。 I was rocking a mooch from birth until high school。 I see my younger self， along with girls today， loving and appreciating a book like this， since it normalizes mooches and body hair on females。 I wish I had this book when I was a kid， but am so glad it is available now for generations to come。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Laxmi's Mooch
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Laxmi's Mooch&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Laxmi's Mooch&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0