8 delightful children’s books for young readers to relish

Tags: duckbill, National Book Trust, Pickle Yolk Books, Talking cub, Tota Books, Tulika Publishers

Engaging, interesting, delicious-looking books are essential for kids to lure them to the wondrous world of books. And if food is there too in the story, it becomes a perfect match at times. So here’s a list of foodie children’s books that you can enjoy reading with your child, and maybe you’d gobble them up alone too!

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Which of these children’s books have you come across? Comment away some books you’d add to this list.

Title: Machher Jhol: Fish Curry

Author: Richa Jha, Sumanta Dey

Publisher: Pickle Yolk Books

Price: 350

Pages: 40

Blurb:

When Gopu’s father (Baba) falls sick, the visually impaired Gopu knows he would have to step out alone. He negotiates the crowds, the markets and the traffic of the city of Calcutta, all by himself, to reach his grandma’s house to get her to cook Baba’s favourite fish curry. Does he succeed in bringing it home to him? In this book, Richa Jha writes as much about the courage of Gopu as she does about the sounds and smells of a bustling metropolis. Sumanta Dey brings alive the city of Calcutta between the covers of this book and makes the readers feel they are walking alongside Gopu.

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Title: The Story of A Mango

Author: Debashish Deb

Publisher: National Book Trust

Price: 80

Pages: 16

Blurb:

A story without words, in which two children want a mango from a tree, one of them hits at it with a catapult. however, there is many an adventure before the mango actually comes to their hands. Vivid, bold illustrations sketch the story.

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Title: The Grand Chapati Contest

Author: Asha Nehemiah, Chetan Sharma

Publisher: Duckbill

Price: 175

Pages: 40

Blurb:

When the Royal Chapati Cook quits, there is no one to make the fluffy-puffy chapatis that the king loves. Can they find another champion chapati maker at the Grand Chapati Contest?

The Grand Chapati Contest is a part of the Hook Books series. These books are for very young readers, aged five and above. The books work well for reading out loud to kids or for young readers just starting to read by themselves. Written by some of the best-known writers for children, and illustrated in exuberant colour by some of India’s most-loved illustrators, these stories are set largely in non-urban settings. Hawaldar Hook is the endearing mascot of the Hook Books. Each book includes short and fun language exercises at the end.

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Title: A Little Spice is Extra Nice

Author: Sruthi Vijayan, Sanjana Ranjit

Publisher: Talking Cub

Price: 350

Pages: 32

Blurb:

Little Annie and her dear grandfather Appoopan are cooking up a storm in the kitchen. But wait, they have run out of spices!

After a hearty breakfast, Annie and Appoopan dash off to Kerala’s amazing spice market in Mattancherry to refill their spice box. Here Appoopan introduces Annie to the flavours, smells and stories of the wonderful world of Indian spices: bright yellow turmeric, sweet and spicy cinnamon, the Malabar pepper known as black gold, star anise and so much more.As they walk through the lanes of the market, a mesmerized Annie also meets the people who work hard to bring these spices to our kitchen and table.

Filled with illustrations as colourful and flavourful as the spices it describes, A Little Spice Is Extra Nice is a perfect introduction to the delicious world of food for the youngest readers.

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Title: Tsomo and the Momo

Author: Niveditha Subramaniam

Publisher: Tulika Publishers

Price: 125

Pages: 20

Blurb:

A delightful story about the delectable momo, that flavour-filled savoury that travelled to India from Tibet, Nepal and beyond. Now you too can relish it with Tsomo in a mouthwatering story in which the steaming hot momo comes appetisingly alive! Watercolour pencil illustrations softened with subtle brushstrokes conjure up scenes sure to tickle the tastebuds, satisfy hunger pangs and stir up a song.

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Title: The Tomato Thief

Author: Niyatee Parikh Sharma

Publisher: Tota Books

Price: 225

Pages: 24

Blurb:

Veer cannot wait to taste the tomatoes he grows in his terrace garden. When the tomatoes are just ripe enough to pick, something strange happens. The tomatoes go missing. Veer is determined to solve the mystery and find out who is stealing his delicious tomatoes.

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Title: Pickle Mania

Author: Srividhya Venkat

Publisher: Tota Books

Price: 195

Pages: 24

Blurb:

Nitya wants to be just like her grandfather, Thatha, who enjoys eating fiery-hot red pickles. But her plea to taste them is turned down because pickles are “too spicy for children”. However, Nitya is not one to give up. When she finally gets her way, she is disappointed to discover that that they are indeed too spicy. What does she do to satisfy her ‘Pickle Mania’? A delightfully delicious story of a little girl’s resolve to have a pickle of her own.

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Title: Kozhukatta

Author: Sumi Chandrasekharan

Publisher: Tota Books

Price: 225

Pages: 24

Blurb:

Ponnu is very forgetful! This frustrates him, especially when he can’t remember the names of his favorite foods. How else can he ask for what he wants to eat? On a visit to a friend’s house one day, he is offered something soft, white, round and delicious. This time ponnu has no intention of letting its name slip from his memory…. What happens next? Find out in this noodlehead story, adapted from a traditional Indian tale.

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Tags: duckbill, National Book Trust, Pickle Yolk Books, Talking cub, Tota Books, Tulika Publishers

Amritesh Mukherjee

Amritesh doesn't know what to do with his life, so he writes. He also doesn't know what to write, so he reads. Gift him a book if you chance upon him and he'll love you forever.