I’m always excited when authors share their covers – it’s like the unveiling of a beautiful piece of art – actually, the covers of picture books ARE works of art…and it’s my pleasure to show you this one – a debut picture written by Namita Moolani Mehra and illustrated by Beena Mistry and published by Kids Can Press.

The color palette is so vivid…and the cover is very engaging and inviting…kids will want to pick up the book and open it to find out more about the girl on the cover.

Here’s a little bit about the story:
Set during the Partition of India, a moving story about a girl who helps others the only way she knows how: by cooking up a small taste of home.

Veena loves her home, especially spending time in the kitchen learning how to make roti. But everything changes when India suddenly becomes free from British rule, and the country is to be divided in two according to religion. Fearing for their safety, Veena’s family flees in the middle of the night. They make their way to a dusty and crowded refugee camp, where life is difficult and her family struggles. Even the roti is different from what Veena remembers from home. She wants to do something to bring hope and comfort to the people at the camp. By making them tasty roti, maybe Veena can use her skills to lift everyone’s spirits. 

This poignant picture book is based on the experience of author Namita Moolani Mehra’s grandparents, who left nearly everything behind when they fled Sindh province in 1947 during the Partition of India. Sensitively written, the story can serve as an excellent starting point for classroom discussions of migration and refugees. Veena is an engaging and resourceful girl who helps put a face to the refugee experience. Beena Mistry’s colorful illustrations bring a relatable warmth to the story. The content also connects to social studies lessons on conflict and change, local and global communities, and the cultural importance of food. Back matter includes an author’s note, a map, contextual information about Partition and a glossary.

And how lucky we are! Author Namita stopped by to share the story behind the story. I know that every time I do a school visit, the students want to know WHY I wrote the book…and writers are the same, I think.
ME: Welcome, Namita. Thank you so much for visiting Picture Books Help Kids Soar and allowing us the honor of sharing the cover for your beautiful upcoming book that launches September 3rd, VEENA AND THE RED ROTI.

NAMITA:
My family is originally from Sindh, Pakistan but after the Partition of India, they were forced out of their homes and arrived in India as refugees. The Partition of India is one of the largest mass migrations in history – 14 million people were displaced and lost their homes. 

I grew up listening to stories of Partition from my grandparents- stories that were often charged with emotion and trauma. One day, my granduncle said to me– “you are a writer . . .  you must tell our family’s story!” His wife’s name (my grandaunt) was Veena and she is the inspiration for the main character in my story. 

Veena’s Red Roti is out September 3rd and is inspired by the story of my grandparents who left behind everything to start a new life. It is a story of home, belonging, hope, and memories.

Preorder links
https://www.target.com/p/veena-and-the-red-roti-by-namita-moolani-mehra-hardcover/-/A-90863547
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/veena-and-the-red-roti-namita-moolani-mehra/1144553734

The biggest challenge for me in writing this book was distilling down some very difficult truths in history and some particularly painful moments in my family’s journey –for example, they had to suddenly leave their home overnight and escape undercover in a freight train. I wasn’t sure how such a traumatic experience could translate as a kid-friendly, picture book. It was also very hard for me to detach from the real events and emotions because it is such a personal story, but thanks to my incredible critique group in Singapore (whom I meet with in person every Wednesday since 2016!) and my amazing editor Kathleen Keenan at Kids Can Press, I was able to fictionalize a bit more and tell a story that will leave young readers with a sense of hope. It took 27 revisions to get to the final story!

April 10 is a wonderful and auspicious date for this cover reveal because it is Cheti Chand- Sindhi New Year, and Veena’s Red Roti is dedicated to my grandparents and all the Sindhi grandparents who survived Partition. I am so grateful to be able to honor my family and my Sindhi heritage through this picture book.

Thank you so much, Namita, for sharing all of this.

What a very special book this is, dear friends! I hope you will check it out – and put it on your Goodreads Want To Read Shelf…and pre-order it…and share this post to spread the word!

And to find out more about Namita and to connect with her:

Namita Moolani Mehra is a children’s book author and the founder of social-impact business, Indian Spicebox, a company that has helped fund over half a million hot meals for underprivileged children in India. Namita’s published books include picture books The Light Within You and Anni Dreams of Biryani. She has also authored children’s cookbooks, including The Magic Spicebox and Superfoods for Superheroes. Namita crafts delightful culinary experiences in Singapore like cooking classes and street food pop-ups, and currently lives in Singapore with her husband and two young children. Namita has over 15 years experience as a digital and creative strategist in advertising and tech. She has worked at companies like Ogilvy and Facebook/Meta. Learn more at namitamehra.com
https://www.instagram.com/indianspicebox
Twitter/X @Namstwit
http://facebook.com/namitamehra

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us…and speaking about PRECIOUS…I’ll be announcing the results of #50PreciousWords on Sunday’s blog post…so don’t miss it!