The Girl Who Lost Her Yes | Out Now!

28 February 2024

Talking about The Girl Who Lost her Yes, author Aarti Khatwani Bhatia says, ‘Around the age of 5-6 years, most children go through a phase of developing their likes and dislikes. They become more & more confident of what they want & what they don’t. And it is lovely to see their personality develop, this way! But it is also a bit of a struggle for parents to get the child to agree to do things like getting ready on time, sharing their toys, eating fruit & vegetables, sleeping on time, etc.

The first draft of The Girl Who Lost Her Yes was conceptualised one night, when I was trying to tell my little girl how she ought to say ‘yes’ more, through a spontaneous story. Seeing her fall in love with the idea of this story & the resulting change in her responses over the next few days, made me turn the bedtime tale into this picture book. Priya has helped immensely in bringing the story to life with such beautiful, engaging illustrations, which I am sure every child will get glued to!’

Illustrator Priya Kuriyan says, ‘It was a pleasure to illustrate this unusual book by Arti Bhatia. Typically, we inform children about when to say ‘No’, but a book about the opposite, is a thoughtful choice by the author.’

Tina Narang, Publisher – HarperCollins Children’s Books adds, ‘The Girl Who Lost Her Yes is a picture book you will want to say a big ‘Yes’ to! It’s a story that will resonate with every parent who has a child who loves to say ‘No’ to anything and everything, and for children to discover what happens when they do! Award-winning illustrator, Priya Kuriyan, brings Aarti Khatwani Bhatia’s delightful book to life in the most brilliant way possible. Young readers are certainly going to say ‘Yes’ to turning the pages to the very end!’

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About The Girl Who Lost Her Yes

Six-year-old Mia loves going to the carnival. She loves eating ice cream. But she also loves saying ‘No’. She loves ‘No’ so much that she rarely uses ‘Yes’.

So, one day, feeling sad and left out, ‘Yes’ packs its bags and leaves. And in the days that follow, Mia realizes how she is unable to say ‘Yes’ even to the carnival, to ice cream and to all her favourite things!

What happens next? Does Mia continue to say ‘No’ to everything? Does ‘Yes’ ever come back to her? To find out, read this heartwarming story of Mia, the girl who lost her ‘Yes’.

About the author

Aarti Khatwani Bhatia has an MBA from NMIMS, Mumbai. After years of working with multinational companies like ConAgra Foods and Red Bull, she finally found her calling in stories. She has written for brands like Aveeno Baby, Nestlé, Dabur, Preganews, Luvlap, Pediasure, Dove, Casio and many more. Her short story ‘You Come First’ won the ‘Silver Story of the Year’ in the international short story writing competition at IFP in 2022. When not sleeping, she is either telling her kids a story, or creating one with them. And when sleeping, well then she is just sleeping, for she loves doing that as much as she loves telling stories! 

About the illustrator

Priya Kuriyan is a children’s book writer-illustrator and comics maker. She has directed educational films for Sesame Street (India) and the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) and has illustrated numerous children’s books for publishers like Tulika Books, Karadi Tales, Eklavya, HarperCollins, Scholastic and Penguin. Her work has appeared in publications like the Mint Lounge, Indian Express, Indian Quarterly and Hindu Business Line. In 2019, she won the ‘Big Little Book Award’ for her contribution to children’s literature in India. She lives and works in Bangalore and, in her spare time, likes to make funny caricatures of its residents.