Brown Girls Deserve Fairytales too

This is the story I wish I had growing up

My new picture book The Salt Princess released this week! It’s the most challenging, personal, and visually intricate project I’ve ever worked on.

I wanted to create a story that felt like a true fairytale for a girl who never saw herself as beautiful and worthy of being a protagonist. Below, I’m sharing a peek behind the scenes: the inspiration, the process, and what this book means to me.

The Salt Princess is the book I needed when I was growing up.

As a kid, I never saw myself reflected in the stories I loved. There were no South Asian princesses, no picture books that celebrated my culture. If we showed up at all, it was usually as a joke—mocked for our accents, our food, our features. Those portrayals made it hard to feel proud of who I was. I clung to any doll or character who even vaguely looked like me, just to feel included. That feeling of invisibility is something I’ve carried for a long time.

This book is a response to that. It’s rooted in South Asian art and storytelling, inspired by the rich beauty of Mughal miniature painting. It stars a clumsy, creative, strong-willed girl who isn't perfect—and that’s exactly the point. Her sisters come in all shades of brown, with beautiful noses and features in every shape. I wanted to create a world that reflects us with joy, color, and love.

I made this story for the kids who are still searching for themselves in books. And for the grown-ups who remember what it felt like to never find that story when they needed it most.

The Salt Princess is out now, and I’m so proud to finally share it with you.

Studio Notes

• Thank you so SO much for all the love and support this week for my little book, I appreciate it so much!

• If you purchase a copy from Buy Olympia, you’ll also receive a free print!

• Dallas friends! I am having a celebration event at Bloom Cafe in Garland on April 20th at 11am. I hope to see you there :)

• I hope to share more BTS for this book in the coming weeks; if there’s anything specific you’d like me to share, let me know!