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Meena's Saturday
CCBC Review:
Meena’s Saturdays start at sunrise, sipping chai with her sisters before they launch into a morning of nonstop cleaning and grocery shopping until the first relatives arrive at noon. Meena’s job is making chai for the guests, a task she finds boring and endless. The women and girls crowd the small kitchen for an afternoon of cooking, followed by more cleaning, while the doorbell rings constantly with cousins, aunts, and uncles, all neighbors and friends. Meena’s parents were the first to move from their village in India to a new country, and they helped others who came later. All come on Saturdays to acknowledge that assistance and celebrate community. Meena and her cousins work hard, but also find time to watch Indian movies and practice their dance and fighting moves. After more effort in the kitchen making fresh chapatis, a spectacular dinner is ready to be served. Table space is limited and a protocol is followed each week: The men eat first. But Meena, who objects to gender-biased practices throughout the day and is fed up with waiting for progress, decides to make her own small step toward change when she takes the seat next to her father. Warmth, humor, and a realistic childlike perspective blend in this lively portrait of family, both chosen and blood, spending a day framed by tradition and evolving attitudes. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-7
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
British and British Americans
Community
Families
Food and Cooking
Girls and Women
Immigration and Immigrants
South Asian People
Work and Labor
Diversity subject:
Asian
Other Religion
Publishers:
Penguin Random House, Kokila
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780593110317
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Mepani