India on a Plate!: Indian Food from A to Z

by Archana Sreenivasan

Spicy or tangy, savory or sweet—let’s meet some Indian foods from A to Z! this book might make you very hungry!

Fry, simmer, sauté, and create.
I’ll try them all. I can’t wait!
You can’t fit India on a plate!

Kids love learning about food, they need to learn their ABC's, and this mouth-watering alphabet book covers both in the most delicious way! From spicy achaar to sweet zafrani pulao, flip through food from every corner of India, for all kinds of occasions. Author/illustrator Archana Sreenivasan brings each dish to life with playful rhyming text and bright, engaging illustrations.

Genres: Food, Picture Books, India, Childrens, Nonfiction

27 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2024

About the author

Archana Sreenivasan is a freelance illustrator based in Bangalore, India. Her illustrations have been published in magazines, children's books, book covers and comics. She finds the natural world and people watching most inspiring and engaging.

She is an alumna of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. In 2015 she attended the Summer Residency in Illustration at School of Visual Arts, NY.

Reviews

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I freaking love books that give me pronunciation keys! And this one does with every single food represented.

As someone who is around Indian heritage and representation (through my husband's job in the tech sector), I really appreciated this book as it opened my eyes to even more types of food than what I know! That is something unique; it's not just your typical Indian food standbys that are included.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Partly motivated by having a multiracial daughter of my own, as well as being a biracial Indian woman who was raised primarily White, I'm on a journey of self-discovery of all things Indian culture. I found this while at a local bookstore, and was so excited to get it for my daughter. We both loved the beautiful pictures/illustrations, and it was such a joy being able to learn about so many new foods!

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well now I’m hungry…..

Such a great celebration of Indian culture and food. As a foodie, I appreciate books like this, but as a librarian and mother I appreciate them even more. Books like this normalize different types of foods abs encourage children to try foods outside of their comfort zones. The illustrations were perfect and I loved the pronunciation guide included with each dish.

[Angie Dang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel deeply connected to India’s cuisines. The mix of dishes, from the familiar to the less known, is inspiring. It honours India’s diverse food traditions without overwhelming the reader. The author and illustrator capture each dish’s character: its name, its sound, and its place in culture,... and turn it into something both kids and adults can enjoy.

The illustrations are bright, vivid, and mouth-watering. I paused at every page, wanting to taste what I saw.

As a parent, I love sharing this with my child. The simple rhymes, clear layout, and pronunciation guide help us explore foods together. It sparks curiosity, teaches respect for many cultures, and encourages us to try new flavors.

If you want a book that comforts, teaches, and makes you hungry in the best way, this is a treasure for families, food lovers, and anyone who wants to broaden their taste and their heart.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son randomly picked this off the library shelf and we both have really enjoyed reading it. It's definitely one of his favorites right now. Colorful and fun illustrations, the rhyming is pretty good, the food looks delicious. I showed it to a mom friend of mine who is from India and she loved it. She helped me with the pronunciation on the words and told me which foods to try first. She also mentioned that she could tell where the dishes were from in India based on what the characters were wearing so that was cool to know that some of the dishes were from different areas in India.

[Shincy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75

A beautifully illustrated book that will help your little ones become familiar with some of the yummy dishes across India all while practicing their alphabet! I especially liked how it had a pronunciation guide after each dish name. If there is another iteration, I would love to have regional names included with all the dishes.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE INDIAN FOOD! When I saw this BB I just had to read it! So many of the dishes when I go to my favorite Indian restaurant are not familiar to me; I often just go to my favorites, but feel as if I may be missing out on something new. This book has me looking at several dishes I was unaware of - will be sure to look for them the next time!

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief summary: Young readers will enjoy seeing and learning foods of India in this brightly illustrated ABC board book.

Comments: Each letter has a fun rhyming three-lined verse describing the food.

There is a pronunciation guide after each food.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

[Delie Dell Chua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, an intro to Indian cuisine for kids. It was fun, learning food and your ABCs together. The illustrations were really awesome as well. It sure made me hungry while reading and made me curious and want to try out all the food mentioned in the book!

[Patricia Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how there were pronunciations for each food dish.

[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

yum yum yum yum yum

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

And now I'm hungry.

[Federica Miross · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! I have no clue about Indian food and this book will accompany me to my next visit to an Indian restaurant! And who knows, maybe India itself!

[JJ]

I loved the illustrations in this book and enjoyed learning about traditional Indian cuisine.

[Norshakila Makmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh i love this book so much. all the indian foods for kids to learn!