Both stories are action-packed. Children play detectives who search for the root of strange happenings
Peace Pulao and The Forbidden Snacks Society. Pic courtesy/HarperCollins children’s books
TITLE: Peace Pulao, The Forbidden Snacks Society
AUTHORS: Menaka Raman and Vibha Batra
GENRE: Children
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Cost: Rs 499
The Forbidden Snacks Society by Menaka Raman and Peace Pulao by Vibha Batra are part of Doubles (HarperCollins Children’s Books), a new collection of two food stories for children. In Raman’s adventure narrative, several children are enrolled by their parents at a mysterious wellness camp, where they survive on green drinks, boiled mushrooms and llama milk curd. One day, they embark on a mission to uncover the secrets of the camp. In a flipped mystery narrative, Batra explores what it can take for two families, who own restaurants serving the Pasinabad Pulao, to set aside their differences and save the legacy of their grandparents.
Vibha Batra (right) Menaka Raman
Both stories are action-packed. Children play detectives who search for the root of strange happenings. In Raman’s story, one of the most endearing characters is young Anika. She is tender towards her friends, and fierce when standing up to the authorities at the Temple of Mind and Body Excellence (TOMBE). She calls the camp ‘fat camp’, annoyed by her athletic parents’ coercion in sending her. Other children — Abhanindranath (Bubbles), Vasu, and Navjyot — have distinct personalities; they encourage us to root for them. Their uniqueness helps readers get a sense of what would have resulted in their enrolment in the camp and the multiple ways in which children may feel stifled or humiliated by their loved ones. Sometimes that involves being shamed for eating too much; other times, it may be a belittlement of their passion. Raman’s writing is gentle; she injects humour to draw on the future, creating an adventurous world where experiments can turn sinister.
On the other end is Batra’s world that aims to preserve the charm of the past. The restaurant décor, the local delicacies, Mataji’s rules inside the restaurant, the grandparents’ secret recipe, and the bazaar with cyclists and cycle rickshaws — all take us back to an older world. Batra’s characters are vibrant, especially the protagonists Suraiya and Divumber, who carry their own idiosyncrasies. With Inspector Chulbul and Badke Bhaiya’s appearances, Batra leaves us with plenty of suspects, commotion, and laugh riots. Together, the stories are doubly joyous and make for great additions to a young reader’s library.
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