Awe-samosas!

by Marzieh Abbas, Bhagya Madanasinghe (Illustrator)

Overview

This warm and joyful picture book blends family tradition and creativity as Noor puts an awesome spin on her Dadijaan's yummy but ingredient-specific samosa recipe.

It’s Noor’s first time making her Dadijaan’s Special Samosa recipe. When she can’t get in touch with her Dadijaan because it’s nighttime in Pakistan, Noor must improvise to make her family’s recipe without all of the correct ingredients.

Noor uses her creativity and problem-solving skills to create something new and exciting for her friends: flaky, super-crispy Awe-samosas!

Marzieh Abbas weaves Urdu words into her narrative of creativity, problem-solving, and love of food and cooking. Includes Dadijaan’s traditional potato and pea samosas recipe in backmatter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063257276
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/26/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	324,749
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Marzieh Abbas is an award-winning author who enjoys learning new skills, jumping rope, sipping chai, and observing nature. She is the author of several upcoming children’s books, a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and a graduate of the Children’s Book Academy. She lives in Pakistan.

Bhagya Madanasinghe is an illustrator and architect from Sri Lanka, a colorful little country in South Asia. She was drawn to various illustrative styles that guided her to the beautiful world of children's books. She enjoys making characters with strong emotions and actions to express the mood of her illustrations. She loves exploring new places to inspire her work. Her favorite thing to cook is pol sambol. Currently, she lives in Canada with her husband and lovely daughter, where she continues to excel in her artistic endeavors.

Editorial Reviews

(Star) "With references to Ramadan, the use of the Muslim greeting salam-alaykum, and Urdu words sprinkled throughout, this book crosses cultural divides and invites everyone into the kitchen, with lessons about treasuring family heritage and sharing one’s culture with others...An awesome book about samosas and so much more: a great addition to any collection." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"Noor's plucky problem-solving and her encouraging cheerleaders...buoy the book. Illustrations that vary between close-ups and lively alternating perspectives evoke a cozy, bustling kitchen. A joyful story of one child's can-do spirit and tasty endings." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

★ 06/14/2024

PreS-Gr 3—Noor has friends visiting her house for the very first time and she wants to make something special—Dadijaan's special samosas! But how does she carry on without her grandmother's recipe, or the right ingredients? Abu, her father, is standing by and it's determined that Noor will make do with what she has. She ends up crafting delicious samosas of different flavors for her friends to enjoy with encouragement and help from Abu, and they send photos to Dadijaan in faraway Pakistan. With references to Ramadan, the use of the Muslim greeting salam-alaykum, and Urdu words sprinkled throughout, this book crosses cultural divides and invites everyone into the kitchen, with lessons about treasuring family heritage and sharing one's culture with others. Madanasinghe's beautiful illustrations, spilling across spreads, show Noor's process and home in delightful detail and vivid colors. Abbas includes a recipe and glossary at the end for Urdu words used. VERDICT An awesome book about samosas and so much more; a great addition to any collection.—Kerri L. Williams

School Library Journal

2023-12-06
A young girl of Pakistani descent whips up a traditional treat with a twist.

Noor is excited for her friends to visit, but she can’t decide what to serve them. Her father offers to order pizza, but Noor wants to make grandmother Dadijaan’s special potato and pea samosas. Her excitement turns to disappointment when she realizes she doesn’t have the recipe or the right ingredients—and it’s too early to call Dadijaan, who lives in Pakistan. Her father advises her to make do with what she has, and her pet parrot pipes up with an encouraging Urdu phrase that Noor’s grandmother often says: “Sab theek hai. Sab theek hoga!” (“Everything’s great. Everything’s going to be okay!”) Noor decides to make samosas with unique fillings. Soon, father and daughter are chopping, peeling, and grinding away. When it’s time to fill the samosa wraps, however, Noor’s attempts are less than successful. But she refuses to give up, and inspiration strikes when she recalls that her grandmother wraps the samosas the same way she ties her scarf into a turban—“TWIST, FLIP, FOLD, AND…TUCK!” Her friends bite into little triangles of delicious and unexpected flavors of apple-cinnamon, cheesy pepperoni, and honey-pistachio samosas. Though the word awe-samosas is a bit overused, Noor’s plucky problem-solving and her encouraging cheerleaders help buoy the book. Illustrations that vary between close-ups and lively alternating perspectives evoke a cozy, bustling kitchen.

A joyful story of one child’s can-do spirit and tasty endings. (samosa recipe, Urdu glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews