Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji - Hardcover

F. Zia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1600604439 ISBN 13: 9781600604430

Publisher: Lee & Low Books, 2011

Synopsis

Aneel's grandparents have come to stay, all the way from India. Aneel loves the sweet smell of his grandmother s incense, and his grandfather, Dada-ji, tells the world s best stories. 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 Overflowing with family, food, and a tall stack of fun, Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji is sure to warm the heart and tickle the tummy. Hunh-ji! Yes, sir!

About this title

About the Author

F. ZIA is a writer and an elementary school teacher who grew up in Hyderabad, India. Her stories blend humor and tradition, memories and contemporary moments. Zia, who believes writing like roti making requires persistence and practice, wrote this story as a gift to her grandchildren. Zia lives in eastern Massachusetts with her husband. This is her first picture book. KEN MIN is an illustrator and animation storyboard artist. As a boy in Los Angeles, Min dreamed of becoming a dinosaur doctor. After realizing that dinosaurs were extinct, he decided to pursue his love of art. Min still lives in California and enjoys drawing the animals at the San Diego Zoo. His Web site is kenminart.com, and this is the first picture book he has illustrated.

Review

2012 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature Honor, Picture Books

Best Children's Books of the Year Bank Street College of Education

*"Food, family and storytelling set irresistible hooks in this high-spirited double picture-book debut. Grandfather s rousing tales of a village youth spent tying cobras into knots, shaking mangos for the pickle jar from a giant tree and savoring the 'fluffy-puffy roti that bubbled and wobbled in ghee on the hot, hot tavva pan' inspire young Aneel to give his Dada-ji 'the power of the tiger' once again with a fresh batch of the unleavened treat. Min echoes the narrative s exuberance with bright, blocky acrylic scenes of an Indian family in Western surroundings. After downing the roti with finger-licking enthusiasm, the two proceed outside to shake apples off a tree for Dadi-ma s pie and tie their legs in knots to sit lotus fashion on a grassy hillside. A natural for reading aloud, laced with great tastes, infectious sound effects and happy feelings." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This debut for both author and illustrator is a winning story of family traditions as well as a rollicking tall tale.... Zia has an ear for the storyteller s cadence. She creates lyrical lines for the framing narrative and then alters her voice, animating the interior story with exaggeration and exclamations. Min s style is dynamic; he borrows a variety of techniques from graphic novels to delineate time and place and to focus attention. From inset boxes and monochromatic background figures to silhouettes and sequential panels, the effect is exciting and fresh. As Aneel stands on his head in imitation of his grandfather, the room tilts and smoke from the burning incense spreads across the page, carrying light green colored-pencil sketches of the 'wheat fields and swaying coconut palms' of the elders village. This contrasts with the bold colors of the boy s modern living room, rendered in acrylics. Inspired by the story, Aneel starts mixing ingredients. Boy and man chomp and chew. Do the roti still do the trick? Hunh-ji! Yes, Sir!"
--School Library Journal

"Young readers will flip for Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji by F. Zia!" --The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

About this edition

• Publisher: Lee & Low Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1600604439
• ISBN 13: 9781600604430
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Ken Min