Tomatoes for Neela

E LAK

Neela loves cooking with her amma and writing down the recipes in her notebook. It makes her feel closer to her paati who lives far away in India. On Saturdays, Neela and Amma go to the green market and today they are buying tomatoes to make Paati's famous sauce. But first, Neela needs to learn about all the different kinds of tomatoes they can pick from. And as Neela and Amma cook together, they find a way for Paati to share in both the love and the flavors of the day.

Fry Bread

E MAI

Fry bread is food - It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.

Fry bread is time - It brings families together for meals and new memories.

Fry bread is nation - It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.

Fry bread is us - It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.

Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup

PC E MAY

Sophie loves Bubbe's Jewish chicken soup, made with kreplach. She also loves Nai Nai's Chinese chicken soup, with wonton. But don't tell Bubbe and Nai Nai that their soups are the same! Can Sophie bring her whole family together for a warm and tasty surprise?

Bilal Cools Daal

E SAE

Six-year-old Bilal is excited to help his dad make his favorite food of all-time: daal! The slow-cooked lentil dish from South Asia requires lots of ingredients and a whole lot of waiting. Bilal wants to introduce his friends to daal. They’ve never tried it! As the day goes on, the daal continues to simmer, and more kids join Bilal and his family, waiting to try the tasty dish. And as time passes, Bilal begins to wonder: Will his friends like it as much as he does?

Freedom Soup

E CHA

Every year, Haitians all over the world ring in the new year by eating a special soup, a tradition dating back to the Haitian Revolution. This year, Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make the soup — Freedom Soup — just like she was taught when she was a little girl. Together, they dance and clap as they prepare the holiday feast, and Ti Gran tells Belle about the history of the soup, the history of Belle’s family, and the history of Haiti, where Belle’s family is from. In this celebration of cultural traditions passed from one generation to the next, Jacqueline Alcántara’s lush illustrations bring to life both Belle’s story and the story of the Haitian Revolution. Tami Charles’s lyrical text, as accessible as it is sensory, makes for a tale that readers will enjoy to the last drop.

Soul Food Sunday

E BIN

At Granny’s, Sunday isn’t Sunday without a big family gathering over a lovingly prepared meal. Old enough now, our narrator is finally invited to help cook the dishes for the first time: He joins Granny in grating the cheese, cleaning the greens, and priming the meat for Roscoe Ray’s grill. But just when Granny says they’re finished, her grandson makes his own contribution, sweetening this Sunday gathering—and the many more to come.

Dumpling Day

E SRI

Savor a rhyming celebration of one of the world’s most universal foods! Readers follow ten diverse families as they cook dumplings inside their homes in preparation for a neighborhood potluck. Dumplings are added to plates one by one, encouraging children to count with each new addition. Authentic recipes for all the dumplings and a map showing their regions of origin are included in the endnotes. Dumpling Day features dumplings from the following regions: India USA (Pennsylvania Dutch) China (Cantonese) Nigeria Japan Israel Mexico Syria Russia Italy

Chaiwala!

E MAH

When their train makes a 10-minute stop at the station in Jaipur, a young girl and her mother hurry to get in line for a cup of chai. While the girl waits for her mug of milky spiced tea, readers are treated to the sights, sounds, and smells of the Chaiwala’s cart. The aroma of ginger, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sticks swirls in the air. Tea leaves rustle, milk bubbles, and the hot drink is poured back and forth until―clink!―the cups are filled and placed on the stand. With a biscuit and a rusk added to their order, it’s time to find a spot to sit and enjoy!

Tomatoes in My Lunchbox

E MAN

On her fist day of school in a new country, a young immigrant girl doesn't recognize her name when the teacher calls it out for the first time. Her name also feels wrong on the tongues of the other students. When she pulls out a tomato during lunchtime and begins eating it, the other students stare as she eats it like an apple. Though she keeps finding ways she's different from the other students, she remembers advice from her grandmother that helps her forge new friendships.

Three Little Tamales

E KIM

“While three little tamales cool off on a windowsill, a tortilla rolls by. “You’ll be eaten. You’d better run!” he tells them. And so the tamales jump out the window. The first runs to the prairie and builds a house of sagebrush. The second runs to a cornfield and builds a house of cornstalks. The third runs to the desert and builds a house of cactus. Then who should come along but Señor Lobo, the Big Bad Wolf, who plans to blow their houses down. Valeria Docampo’s oil-and-pencil illustrations add zest and humor to this rollicking southwestern version of a popular tale.

Lunch From Home

E STE

Niki, Ray, Preeti, and Mina join their classmates for lunchtime, and they each can't wait to dig into their favorite foods from home. Preeti has dhokla cake, Mina has gimbap, Niki has an everything bagel with lox, and Ray has a burrito filled with a hot dog and scrambled egg. They are all excited for their lunches, but they are crushed when other students tell them their lunches are weird. One by one, Niki, Ray, Preeti, and Mina start to bring sandwiches instead, but they soon grow tired of the same thing. In the end, they decide to start bringing their favorite lunches once more.

Vamos! Let's Go Eat

E RAU

Little Lobo is excited to take in a show with wrestling star El Toro in his bustling border town! After getting lunch orders from the luchador and his friends to help prepare for the event, Little Lobo takes readers on a tour of food trucks that sell his favorite foods, like quesadillas with red peppers and Mexican-Korean tacos. Peppered with easy-to-remember Spanish vocabulary and packed with fun details and things to see, this glorious celebration of food is sure to leave every reader hungry for lunch!

Hot Pot Night!

E CHE

It's dinner time in an apartment building, but no one has enough ingredients for dinner. A young Taiwanese American boy suggests that the neighbors come together and make hot pot for dinner. One neighbor brings the broth, one brings the meat, one brings the vegetables, and one brings the hot pot. Together, the neighbors have everything they need for a delicious communal meal.

Bee-Bim Bop!

E PAR

A child, eager for a favorite meal, helps with the shopping, food preparation, and table setting.

Noodle Magic

E THO

Grandpa Tu is famous for his special noodles, and as the emperor's birthday approaches, he teaches his granddaughter, Mei, the family trade. Mei struggles to find the magic needed to make noodles. Ultimately, she finds the magic--and the ability to succeed--within. Mei doesn't just make noodles--her magic noodles in varied shapes and sizes rain down from the sky!

Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji

E ZIA

When he was a boy, adventurous, energetic Dada-ji had the power of a tiger. Hunh-ji! Yes, sir! He could shake mangoes off trees and wrangle wild cobras. And what gave him his power? Fluffy-puffy hot, hot roti, with a bit of tongue-burning mango pickle. Does Dada-ji still have the power? Aneel wants to find out-but first he has to figure out how to whip up a batch of hot, hot roti.

Octopus Stew

E VEL

The octopus Grandma is cooking has grown to titanic proportions. "¡Tenga cuidado!" Ramsey shouts. "Be careful!" But it's too late. The octopus traps Grandma! Ramsey must use both art and intellect to free his beloved abuela. Then the story takes a surprising twist. And it can be read two ways. Open the fold-out pages to find Ramsey telling a story to his family. Keep the pages folded, and Ramsey's octopus adventure is real. This beautifully illustrated picture book, drawn from the author's childhood memories, celebrates creativity, heroism, family, grandmothers, grandsons, Puerto Rican food, Latinx culture and more.

Round is a Tortilla

E THO

Rhyming text and lovely, folksy artwork accompany author Thong's "poetic ode to shapes." This title showcases a variety of familiar shapes, including rectangles and triangles, to reflect Hispanic culture.

Green is a Chili Pepper

E THO

Mexican American culture is colorful enough to showcase a whole rainbow of shades and hues. On a walk through their little town, a boy and girl discover colors all around them: red, spices and skirts; yellow is corn cake and masa; green is a chile pepper, as well as cornstalks and the bench abuela sits on to tell stories.