Mama's Roti

by Raakhee Mirchandani, Shreya Gupta (Illustrator)

Overview

A powerful story about the life-giving force of roti—a round Indian flatbread—and where it comes from, the people who grow it, and what it symbolizes within two families, inspired by the farmers’ protests in India.

A roti isn't just a roti. It's a day in the hot sun tending to the wheat fields. It's little grains of truth about where we come from. It's a snack in the car for the perfect road trip lunch. It's hundreds of hands over thousands of years, kneading together our story.

Told through alternating perspectives of a family in America and a family in India, this powerful cross-continental, intergenerational story proves that something as small as a grain of wheat can create a powerful sense of community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316339469
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/29/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	290,327
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 10.45(h) x 0.32(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Raakhee Mirchandani is an award-winning writer and editor. She is the author of My Diwali Light, Hair Twins, Super Satya Saves the Day, and She Persisted: Kalpana Chawla. When she isn't writing, Raakhee is either organizing her bookshelves, running races to raise money for kids with cancer, or trying to roll a round roti, a skill she hasn't perfected as her rotis are usually misshapen and angular. She lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, with her husband and daughter. She invites you to follow her on Instagram @RaakstarWrites or visit her online at raakstarwrites.com.

Shreya Gupta is a book designer and the illustrator of She Sang for India by Suma Subramaniam. She is originally from India, but her passion for illustration brought her to the United States, where she pursued an MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been featured as a “Google Doodle” logo, in the New York Times, in Asia Society magazine and other major publications. She also illustrated The Folio Society’s edition of Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.She lives in New York, NY. She invites you to visit her online at shreyaillustrations.com.

Editorial Reviews

This tender, lyrical picture book is a clever, poignant look at the myriad ways food nourishes us…a visual delight and a pleasure to read. A touching ode to a South Asian culinary staple.”—Kirkus

Praise for My Diwali Light
A Junior Library Guild Selection

“[A] vibrant account of a close-knit family and community. MY DIWALI LIGHT should be part of all sets of books about traditions and cultures.”—Booklist

"Mirchandani equates Diwali with collectivity, showing that the joy of the holiday can be shared with family and friends inside and outside of the culture."—SLJ

"Mirchandani’s simple, elegant text explains the holiday, vividly bringing to life a family that loves coming together to share traditions, while Kelkar’s bold use of color (particularly shades of purple, blue, and green) makes the illustrations pop…. A warm, heartfelt ode to Diwali and the joys of family."—Kirkus

Praise for Hair Twins:

* “A feel-good picture book about diversity, family relationships, and self-love.”

—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “Digitally collaged illustrations in a colorful cartoon style by Hatam spotlight a cast with a range of abilities, hair textures, religions, and skin tones. A sweet read that epitomizes a compassionate bond between parent and child.”

—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A loving portrayal of a father-daughter bond that is strengthened over daily hair care, something that honors the characters’ religion while nurturing their relationship."

—Horn Book

“Mirchandani makes a concert piece of the creation of Mama’s roti …  a great tribute to the multifaceted nature of the pillowy flatbread.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

11/01/2024

PreS-Gr 3—Mirchandani makes a concert piece of the creation of Mama's roti from atta, water, salt, and oil. The ingredients are combined and then allowed to rest. Mama pats, stretches, and rolls the dough while music fills the air. Readers are taken to the location where the grain grows, because roti is more than just flatbread—it's a tradition that crosses boundaries and borders and spans hundreds of years. It's lunch for a road trip or hanging out with friends. Most importantly, the grain in it comes from the hard work of the farmers who harvest it. These farmers struggle with lack of rainfall, starvation, and unfair working conditions, but with protest and reform, that'll hopefully change. This book shows how roti is such a creator of connection, it can even make streets full of strangers feel like they're suddenly home. Mama's Roti is a great tribute to the multifaceted nature of the pillowy flatbread. The picture book sheds light on the unfortunate situation many farmers face and how unfairly they're treated. Several vocabulary words may be unfamiliar to readers and could hamper the reading experience for some while enriching it for others. VERDICT This tribute to roti is a solid purchase.—Myiesha Speight

School Library Journal

2024-08-17
Roti has great significance in Indian life, history, politics, and culture.

Though roti is made with flour, salt, oil, and water, it’s so much more than that, as Mirchandani explains. Similar in structure to Kevin Noble Maillard’sFry Bread (2019), illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, the book relies on statements beginning with the phrase “Roti is.” Roti is the memories of mothers and grandmothers passing their recipes across continents and over generations. It’s the farmers who grow and harvest the grains—and who lie awake at night, worried about their crops. It’s the parents who fret about their children going hungry. It’s the agriculturalists protesting unfair laws and those who march beside them in solidarity. Roti is also a way for immigrants to bring their cultures with them when they leave home. “Roti is life,” as the author concludes. Gupta’s warm illustrations, dominated by earthy yellows and deep blues, alternately follow a family of farmers in India and a family of immigrants carving out new lives in America—both linked by their love of this South Asian flatbread. This tender, lyrical picture book is a clever, poignant look at the myriad ways food nourishes us. It also explores issues of systemic inequality, though readers may be confused about the demonstrations referenced in the narrative. The author’s note states that in 2020, Indian farmers, primarily from Punjab and Haryana, protested “unfair” laws—a vague explanation that will require additional context. Overall, though, this is a visual delight and a pleasure to read.

A touching ode to a South Asian culinary staple.(Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews