Another Book Please was born out of our family’s love for reading and specifically my daughter always asking for “another book please” at bedtime. As a parent, I have been overjoyed at the variety of books out there and I envision a world where publishing “another book” is not seen as saturating the market or adding competition. I want to teach my kids to go beyond the notion of “different is beautiful” by questioning who decides what “normal” and “different” is while still honoring how they experience the spaces they exist in. What we do know is that the world needs all of our perspectives and if there is even one kid out there who feels more empowered, confident, celebrated, and included because of a book then I say let’s create that book!
About ‘Gujarati Food ABC’s’
Our first book is the “Gujarati Food ABC’s”. This book came about because I have always loved the special bond between my kids and their grandparents and I wanted to create a simple book they could read together that would evoke memories, create conversations, and strengthen that bond.
When I think about happy family memories, more often than not they revolve around food. When I was younger, it was sitting around the dinner table long after dinner was over and peeling oranges while chatting about our day. As I grew older and moved away from home, it was about visiting home and requesting certain dishes that reminded me of those times. Now that I have my own family to cook for, it’s about calling family member for recipes, sharing ideas, and using food as a way to remember and celebrate our roots. Food evokes memories and serves as a powerful form of connection to so many things – people, culture, land, etc.
I grew up understanding and (kind of) speaking Gujarati but as I’ve gotten older my connection to the language has started to fade. I have accepted that my kids will not speak Gujarati but I want to make sure we maintain the connection to our culture in other ways. Food is one of my favorite ways to do that.
This book is obviously not meant just for grandparents and kids. It’s meant for anyone and everyone who will find joy reading and listening to it.
About the Author
Aparna Kothary
I am a mother of two and love reading culturally relevant children’s books. We learn so much through books and to see our culture reflected in the books we read has such an impact on our self-confidence and belonging. I have always wanted to write a children’s book that highlighted a topic I felt passionate about.
I was born and brought up in the US and went through many phases of figuring out what it meant to be Indian and what it meant to have a culture that was different from the majority culture. There were years when I rejected everything Indian and then there were years where I swung to the opposite end of the spectrum and was grasping at anything culturally Indian. I yearned to feel connected to a country and culture that permeated my everyday life but still felt so far away.
I feel so lucky to have seen the pendulum start to swing in the direction of diversity in children’s literature and entertainment, and I’m here to add “another book” to that pile!
About the Illustrator
Sharon Paravastu
Another Book Please 