Food-Themed KidLit + GIVEAWAY (for 500 subscribers!!!)

I was disappointed by the gritty aftertaste the first time I ate scones. I told myself that it would have been magical if I had gotten it from a bakery instead of a big chain supermarket and had eaten it with clotted cream and strawberry jam the way Enid Blyton recommended. I have never gotten around to eating tinned sardines, even though I love ordering a side of fried sardines alongside a Kerala veg thali. Tinned tuna is the closest I have managed, and even that, I sometimes quickly microwave the contents because I still can't wrap my head around eating fish or meat without any additional cooking. I was suspicious of anchovy paste even as a child when I realized anchovies were a type of fish. But overall, the feasts in her books captivated me as a child, and I can list the top five picnic food items that appear across her books even now.

Interestingly, when I began reading Indian children's books as an adult, I saw many titles highlighting regional or local cuisines and dishes. I never imagined coming across a book titled 'Kozhukatta' - where forgetful Ponnu, on a visit to his friend's house, is served Kozhukattai, something he has never eaten before and the plot involves his attempts not to forget the name before he reaches home (unfortunately this book written by Sumi Chandrasekharan and illustrated by Zafouko Yamamoto and published by Tota books seems to be out of stock). Even food companies have gotten into the game. I recently read a story about missing ragi idlis published by ‘Early Foods’. But I refuse to accept that many young children would 'squeal in excitement' like the two siblings in the story do when they realize they have ragi idlis for breakfast.

But I do have some recommendations for you:

Paati’s Rasam written by Janaki Sabesh & Dhwani Sabesh and illustrated by Pallavi Jain, storyboard by Vaijayanthi (Karadi Tales, 2021): This beautifully illustrated story deals with the theme of grief and how food can be a way to remember and honour our loved ones who have passed away. For Malli, this is by trying to recreate the rasam recipe that Paati used to make for her. The preparation involves a lot of guesswork from Amma and her siblings since none of them know the recipe. Will Malli's rasam taste exactly like Paati's?

Anni Dreams of Biryani written by Namita Moolani Mehra and illustrated by Chaya Prabat (Two Lions, 2022): Set in Little India (an ethnic district in Singapore), Anni's apartment, where she lives with her ma and grandma, is across the street from the Biryani Cafe, which, according to Anni, serves the best biryani in the world. Anni can make many things, from koftas to raitas to rotis, but biryani is not something she has mastered. Each visit, she asks the owner uncle questions about the recipe - from how the rice is made to look orange and how to make it spicy but not too spicy, and then rushes home to write it in her journal. I wasn't a big fan of the ending, which felt too abrupt, but I loved the idea of building a recipe through small detective questions.

Thukpa for All written by Praba Ram & Sheela Preuitt and illustrated by Shilpa Ranade (Karadi Tales, 2018): Tsering cannot wait to taste his grandmother's thukpa, and on the way home, he invites the many friends and neighbours he encounters to come home to have some delicious noodle soup. For a bit, the adult reader would worry if Tsering's granny could feed all the additional guests. But the story is also about the community coming together with their ingredient offerings and their time to help prepare the thukpa together. But will they be able to make the thukpa when a power cut interrupts their preparations? I particularly loved how sounds and songs are incorporated into the narrative as Tsering, a blind boy, engages with the environment around him.

GIVEAWAY!!!

I had promised to do a giveaway once I hit 500 subscribers as a thank you (I didn't think it would happen so quickly). To participate, you can do ANY ONE of the following:

Share about the newsletter with a link on X (formerly Twitter) - this is one platform I am not on, and I wonder if I might be missing out on potential readers.

OR

A LinkedIn post with a link to the newsletter - I have gotten a lot of readers from LinkedIn, so I appreciate shout-outs there.

OR

Share an Instagram story with a screenshot from the newsletter/a book you have picked out from my recommendations so far/diverse reading challenge post, but please link the substack to your Instagram story.

OR

Tag two parent influencers on the diverse reading challenge post on Instagram.

I will randomly decide the winner once I make the list of everyone who participated in the giveaway (do so by Saturday, 8th March - but the earlier, the better!). Do tag me where possible so I can count you, and in case of an X shout-out or if you have a private Instagram account, you can DM the screenshot on substack messages or my Instagram (varshaxvarghese).

The winner gets to pick between a Rs 1000 gift voucher from my favourite independent bookstore or a surprise bundle of similar value (only to an Indian address) with my picks of small business goodies and two books personalized to your interest.

I will do the next giveaway at 1000 subscribers, likely a while away, so participate now!

Till next time,

Varsha