by Joshua David Stein (Author) Jing Li (Illustrator)
What happens when a child's favorite packed lunch is met with disparaging comments at the school lunch table?
In a classroom of sandwiches, four students stand out with their homemade, culturally-specific lunches. But before they can dig in and enjoy their favorite foods, their lunches are spoiled by scrunched noses and disgusted reactions from their sandwich-eating classmates.
Follow each of the four students as they learn to cope with their first "lunch box moments" in this picture book that encourages empathy and inspires all readers to stand up for their food! Inspired by the "lunch box moments" of four acclaimed chefs, Ray Garcia, Preeti Mistry, Mina Park, and Niki Russ Federman, this heartwarming story reminds us all that one's food is a reflection of self and an authentic celebration of culture.
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The contributors credited in this picture book, Niki Russ Federman, Ray Garcia, Preeti Mistry, and Mina Park, are all professional chefs, but they were also once kids encountering peers--and the "lunchbox moment"--when each brought their family's culture to school in the form of packed lunches. These meals are lovingly described by Stein and depicted in vibrant color by Li in this epicurean picture book. For Preeti, it's "soft dhokla cake, topped with fried spices called vagar, and a side of bright mango pickles"; for Mina, it's gimbap; Niki has an everything bagel with lox; and Ray arrives with a cheese, hot dog, and scrambled egg burrito. Stung by "weird," "stinky," and other judgmental words, the children briefly insist that their families provide only "regular sandwiches" going forward. But monotony, combined with burgeoning identities nurtured in the family kitchen, creates an unstoppable force: the kids not only choose their favorite foods, they become passionate advocates for culinary inclusion, too. Ages 3-6. (Aug.)
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