Nidhi Chanani is an Indian American author and illustrator of books for young readers. She was born in Calcutta (also known as Kolkata), India, and grew up in California, where she earned a degree in literature from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Her stories explore themes of culture, identity, immigration, belonging, friendship, and resilience in the face of adversity. Many of Chanani’s protagonists are Indian American children or other immigrants, and she frequently highlights the experiences of navigating between two cultures. Her use of magical realism allows her to explore complex themes, such as multiculturalism and diaspora, through powerful extended metaphors. Chanani has written and illustrated graphic novels for older children and picture books for younger children.

Chanani is the author and illustrator of the Hindi/English bilingual picture book Shubh Raatri Dost/Good Night Friend (2019), as well as the picture books What Will My Story Be? (2021) and Quiet Karima (forthcoming in October 2024). She is also the illustrator of the picture books I Will Be Fierce (2019) by Bea Birdsong, Binny’s Diwali (2020) by Thrity Umrigar, Kong & Me (2021) by Kiki Thorpe, and Strong (2022) by Rob Kearney and Eric Rosswood, which was a Stonewall Honor Book.