Sita Singh Wins Gold Medal At Florida Book Awards For Mango Memories

India-West News Desk

TALLAHASSEE, FL– Indian American author Sita Singh has been awarded the Gold Medal in the Young Children’s Literature category at the 2024 Florida Book Awards for her picture book Mango Memories. The recognition highlights Singh’s commitment to storytelling that celebrates cultural traditions and family bonds.

Mango Memories tells the story of a young girl in an Indian family who is excited to create her first mango-picking memory. Singh, who grew up in Ahmedabad and now lives in South Florida. draws inspiration from her childhood.  Her works, she has said, reflect the oral storytelling traditions passed down by her grandmother.

Although she faces setbacks—struggling to climb the tree and missing with a stone to knock the The book explores themes of perseverance, family, and introduces young readers to South Asian culture.

Singh’s first book, Birds of a Feather, was chosen for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

The Florida Book Awards, organized by Florida State University Libraries, recognize excellence in books published in the past year. This year, more than 190 submissions were evaluated across 11 categories. Singh and the other awardees will be honored at a ceremony on April 3, here.