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New children's book tells India's indentured migration story
Children's book traces Indian indentured migration through one family's journey, drawing from the author's ancestral heritage
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Staff Reporter - Fri, 31, Jul 2026
- 04:09 EDT
- 34
Book Cover / Handout
Canadian American author of Indian origin Sabbithry Persad will release her children's picture book, 'The Journey Seed,' on Sept. 8, offering young readers a story inspired by the history of Indian indentured migration between 1838 and 1917. The book, illustrated by New Delhi-based Chandrima Chatterjee, follows a family's journey from India while drawing on Persad's own Indo-Caribbean heritage.
Published by Eternal Tree Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster, the 36-page hardcover is aimed at children ages 6 to 9. The story centers on Mala, a young girl whose family leaves its village in India to travel across the sea to an unfamiliar land. Carrying their traditions and a single mango seed, the family navigates change while holding on to memory, identity and one another.
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According to the publisher, more than 1.5 million Indians crossed the oceans as indentured laborers between 1838 and 1917, yet the history has rarely appeared in children's literature despite shaping millions of families across the Caribbean and beyond. The publisher says the book introduces the subject through the perspective of a child and includes historical notes and classroom resources for educators.
Persad said she wrote 'The Journey Seed' to share "the little-known history of Indian indentured migration to Trinidad and the enduring search for belonging across generations." The author, who holds a sociology degree from New York University, has previously written several children's books, including the 'Garbology Kids' series and 'What Is Coronavirus?' She lives in Orlando.
Chatterjee, the book's illustrator, is an award-winning artist based in New Delhi. Before becoming a full-time illustrator, she worked as a commissioning editor with publishing houses including Oxford University Press.
The publisher said the book is intended to address what it describes as a gap in children's literature about major migration histories. It notes that while books about European immigration, Ellis Island and the Underground Railroad are widely available, other migration stories remain largely absent from school bookshelves.
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