How can authors help kids make sense of historical events? Particularly, a life-changing event like Partition?
By focusing on a specific child and her personal experience. Will the child character fully understand why this is happening? Will the child reader? Most likely not, but they will both fully understand the emotion the event generates. And emotion leads to empathy. Let the back matter fill in the blanks of why.
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Veena loves being in the kitchen with her mother and aunties.
And she is determined to learn how to make a perfectly round roti. She practices and practices until she succeeds. I love the illustration, shown in the header, that depicts the progression of roti shapes, going from something that resembles a random splat to a lovely round roti.
But there is more than cooking that Veena loves. Her family and her community bring her joy.
That is until Partition divides India into pieces, one for Muslims, one for Hindus. Partition turns neighbor against neighbor, neighbors who had peacefully coexisted for generations. The spread below depicts the fear, uncertainty, and helplessness of a child faced with the result of such a tumultuous adult decision.
They flee, making a harrowing journey to a refugee camp in India, where Veena is faced with eating roti that is red, dry, and hard, difficult to swallow. Roti so unlike the kind she made with her own hands. But her father reminds her how lucky they are to be alive, to have shelter and something to eat. Each day he goes out looking for work, while Veena and her family remain in the camp. And each day while they eat, Veena’s mother cries.
So Veena decides she must do something, and that something is to use her skills in the kitchen, helping to make food for everyone. And it turns out that helping out creates a small kind of happiness, a small kernel of hope that spreads to others.
When her father finally finds a job, they board a train that will take them to a new life, carrying the food with them that gave them hope.
The narrative is intentionally lyrical, making the events of the story even more tragic when set against this backdrop of beautiful language. And the illustrations, vibrant and cheerful at the beginning, darken during the tension-filled days of upheaval, and remain dark until Veena finds her sense of purpose in the refugee camp before ultimately heading to a new home with her family. Back matter includes a glossary and important historical context for the story. It also includes a very personal author’s note, as the story is based on the experiences of the author’s grandparents who fled for their lives from what is now Pakistan to India in the middle of the night. This is a beautiful story of resilience and hope.
Activities:
Pair this book with The Moon from Dehradun by Shirin Shamsi, illustrated by Tarun Lak. How are the stories similar? In what ways are they different?
Watch this YouTube video by Curries with Bumbi that shows beginners how to make rotis. Kids will need adult help for cooking them.
Title: Veena and the Red Roti
Author: Nameeta Moolani Mehra
Illustrator: Beena Mistry
Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2024
Ages: Elementary school
Themes: Partition history, resilience, hope
For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s website.