Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper The Gazette hailed the children’s book Mary and Her New Friends by Fawzia Reza an amazing effort for educating children on sensitive issues like hate, bigotry, bullying and racism. The article, originally published on 14^th December 2019, cites Reza saying that the book was created as an undergraduate project. It also highlighted that Fawzia’s inspiration for the book came from a desire to generate awareness about promoting greater classroom diversity.

Mary and Her New Friends is an adorable book about culture and friendship. The book shares the story of a young girl Mariam (lovingly called Mary), who makes new friends in her class by using her talent of drawing henna patterns. The book also contains colouring pages with which children can practice their fine motor skills.

Fawzia Reza is a mother of two adorable daughters and lives in California with her family. She has a Master’s degree in Childhood Education and a doctorate in Educational Leadership.