Awe-samosas!: A Joyful Picture Book About Making Pakistani Samosas with Creativity for Kids

by Marzieh Abbas, Bhagya Madanasinghe (Illustrator)

This warm and joyful picture book blends family tradition and creativity as Noor puts an awesome spin on her Dadijaan's yummy but ingredient-specific samosa recipe. It’s Noor’s first time making her Dadijaan’s Special Samosa recipe. When she can’t get in touch with her Dadijaan because it’s nighttime in Pakistan, Noor must improvise to make her family’s recipe without all of the correct ingredients. Noor uses her creativity and problem-solving skills to create something new and exciting for her flaky, super-crispy Awe-samosas! Marzieh Abbas weaves Urdu words into her narrative of creativity, problem-solving, and love of food and cooking. Includes Dadijaan’s traditional potato and pea samosas recipe in backmatter.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Friendship, Aapi

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Marzieh Abbas
Author bio: Marzieh is an award-winning author. Raised between the bustling cities of Dubai, U.A.E and Karachi, Pakistan, Marzieh loves traveling, reading and samosas. She is a member of SCBWI, 12x12, and a graduate of the Lyrical Language Lab, Children's Book Academy, and Storyteller Academy. She loves teaching fellow creatives and has conducted several classes online for writers. She is active on Twitter, Blue sky, and Threads where she continues to form connections with the Writing Community, runs a kidlit review group on Facebook and blogs about her author journey and life in Pakistan on Instagram. Marzieh dreams of owning a talking parrot someday. But, until then, she lives in Pakistan with her husband and children who inspire her every day. A DUPATTA IS... (Feiwel & Friends, 2023) is her debut picture book in the traditional American market. She is also the author of the popular Nadia & Nadir series which has 12 books out so far and six more are on the way. Visit her on the web at www.marziehabbas.com

IG link: https://www.instagram.com/marziehabba...
Twitter link: https://twitter.com/MarziehAbbas
FB link: https://www.facebook.com/marziehabbas/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@marziehabbas...
Blue sky: https://www.threads.net/@marziehabbas...



Picture books under contract:
HENNA IS…(Feiwel & Friends, 2024)
AWE-SAMOSAS! (Clarion, 2024)
YASMEEN LARI, GREEN ARCHITECT (Clarion, 2024)
PICKLING TIME (Albert Whitman, 2025)
BOOKS ON MY BACK (Feiwel & Friends, 2024)

Board books under contract:
TBA

Chapter book series under contract:
NADIA AND NADIR (ABDO Books, 2024)

Reviews

[Rosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: A sweet little picture book about a girl who, inspired by her grandma, decides to make samosas for her friends. Cute story, great characters, lovely illustrations, loads of yummy food! Recommended!

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Plot Preview:

Noor’s friends are coming over to her house for the very first time. As Noor ponders over what to serve them, she recollects her grandmother’s delicious samosas. Her father tries to get her to order pizzas instead, but the heart wants what the heart wants. So Noor and her dad set about making samosas. But some key ingredients are not in stock at home and time is running out. Motivated by her father and her pet parrot Mithoo, Noor decides to experiment with Dadijaan’s recipe. She is sure that her Awe-Samosas will turn out awesome!! But will they?

I recently read ‘My Teacher Has Tattoos’, and loved the illustrations so much that I searched for other picture books by the same illustrator. My quest led me to this book, and when I saw the word ‘samosa’ in the title, I knew that it was meant for me. (The samosa is my favourite fried snack, though I don’t consume it often for health reasons.)

The cover and the summary give a hint of how cute the contents of this little book are. Noor is a sweet child who has a loving relationship with her father and her grandmother. I love how seriously she takes the whole idea of serving samosas to her friends. For her sake, I was also glad to see that her friends were open-minded about eating something they weren’t familiar with.

Quite a few pluses in this book:
🥟 A book celebrating the yumminess of our local cuisine – Gimme more!

🥟 Dadijaan’s samosas – made my mouth water! There’s a recipe for this tasty snack at the end of the book.

🥟 The closeness between Noor and her father, and even between Noor and her grandma who is in Pakistan. The interaction between the trio was heartwarming.

🥟 Noor and her enthusiastic attempt at recreating the samosa. I am not too sure about a couple of the combinations she tried (more due to personal taste; those flavours aren’t for me), but I do like the idea of little chefs experimenting in the kitchen. *chef’s kiss to the little chef!*

🥟 Noor’s disappointment at things not going to plan turning into her willingness to learn from the mistakes – a good approach for kids to learn from.

🥟 Abu handles the deep frying (Phew!) though Noor does everything else. It shows kids that they should ask for help from an adult when needed.

🥟 Mithoo, Noor’s pet parrot. Love his contributions to the samosa prep and his encouragement towards Noor.

🥟 The repeated adage of “Sab theek hai. Sab theek hoga!” – “All is fine. All will be fine!” A lovely thought to remember in times of trouble. (Right up there with “Aal izz well” from 3 Idiots!)

🥟 A helpful glossary of all Urdu terms at the end of the book.

🥟 The illustrations were really sweet, with the earthen tones, the facial expressions, and the background artwork coming together in a mostly synchronous harmony. Noor’s turban didn’t appear too natural in its fit, but the rest was very cute. You can actually feel Noor’s energy through the graphics.


Definitely recommended to little samosa lovers who aren’t afraid to try new flavours and love their grandma’s cooking. It might also work as a good classroom option for an inclusive discussion on different foods across the world. This will be a great book for ages 4-8.

4 stars


My thanks to Clarion Books for allowing access to the DRC of “Awe-samosas!” via Edelweiss+. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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[Karen Greenwald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Noor, a little girl who wants to share her grandmother's delicious samosas with her friends...however, her grandmother is asleep in Pakistan and Noor doesn't have access to the recipe. Via problem-solving efforts, creativity, and teamwork (and a refrain from her pet parrot that continuously encourages her), Noor finds a tasty way to blend tradition with her own style. The results are evident in the reactions of her diverse friend group. Spoiler alert--"Awe-samosas!" will make you super hungry! If only the book came with a piping hot order of samosas! But worry not--the backmatter has a recipe (and other useful information).

[Rosanne Kurstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awe-samosas! by Marzieh Abbas is awesome. A book about sharing your culture with friends and about perseverance. Noor's friends are coming over and she wants to serve them samosas - like the ones here Dadijaan (grandmother) makes. Join her as she tries to figure it out —without a recipe, without all the ingredients, and without her grandmother. What she does have is passion and creativity—her father and parrot help out too. A fun story with super detailed and fun illustrations by Bhagya Madanasinghe.

[Candace Spizzirri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awe-Samosaas! by Marzieh Abbas
In AWE-SAMOSAS by Marzieh Abbas, Noor wants to make samosas for her friends just like the delicious ones Dadijaan (grandma) makes. The only problem is that it’s way too early in the day to call Pakistan and Noor can’t find Dadijaan’s recipe for these tasty treats. She knows she needs peas, but “Oh no!” there aren’t any. There is always a plan B Abu encourages. Noor must make do with what is in the kitchen, resulting in a new, unique culinary creation. Illustrations by Bhagya Madansinghe are vibrant and engaging.

A recipe to make samosas is included. Family, friends, traditions, and yummy food! Highly recommended.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

“ The scent of cumin, jasmine, and cinnamon bark embraced her like Dadijaan’s dupatta.”

Awe-Samosas! by Marzieh Abbas and illustrated by Bhagya Madanasinghe, is a delicious picture book about food, family, and creativity. Noor has invited some friends to her house and wants to make her dadijaan’s (grandmother) samosa recipe. As she prepares the recipe, Noor realizes that she is missing a key ingredient. With some ingenuity and creativity, she creates her own version of awe-samosas. Abbas’s writing conveys emotion and energy. She weaves Urdu into the text. Madanasinghe’s illustrations were created digitally. They are bold and bright, pairing with the text perfectly. Awe-Samosas includes a recipe for dadijaan’s potato and pea samosas and a glossary of Urdu terms used in the story. This is a fun and festive read aloud and will have readers’ mouths watering for samosas!

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more bookish opinions, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle

Adorable, heartfelt, and delicious!

Noor wants to have a samosa party with her friends, but keeps running into problems along the way. With reminders of her Dadijaan's advice, she pushes through and puts her own unique spin on a family recipe.

Such a sweet story. Great themes of perseverance, accepting change, ingenuity, and creative thinking. Loved the focus on family, trying new things, and putting your own twist on traditions.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous (and mouthwatering!).

At the back is a recipe for creating Dadijaan's potato and pea samosas as well as a glossary of Urdu terms and their pronunciations.

A wonderful story. Will definitely have you craving samosas.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great story to tie to learning about international cuisine, how to individualize a recipe, in addition to a general message of trying (even if you don’t know exactly what to do) and not giving up. Recipe included in back of book.

[Dow · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy to see a picture book about samosas, a favorite in our house! It’s nice story with colorful art.

[Kirin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this book about a determined young girl and her dad making samosas for friends, missing Dadijan, adapting and problem solving, an encouraging Urdu speaking parrot, a reference to Ramadan, and incredible illustrations... and then I froze.  On page 32 of the 40 page book it says the word "pepperoni" clearly affirming that the Muslim girl who's dupatta wearing Dadijan wakes up at fajr to call her, has made pepperoni pizza samosas for her friends.  Perhaps I'm over reacting, it is one word, but I truly cannot get past it.  The first time I recall asserting myself as Muslim was in preschool making pizzas and me telling my teacher at three and half years old that I cannot eat pepperoni.  Sure as a middle aged adult, I know you can get beef or turkey or faux pepperoni, but the standard is pork, and this book does not clarify that it is not pork.  The word is intentional, the story would be exactly the same if it were just a cheesy pizza samosa, yet it articulates it as a peperoni pizza samosa. And I truly cannot fathom why.  Classrooms and libraries will shelve this book, teachers and librarians will read this book, little Muslim kids that look like Noor, are going to shrink when they get to that line: either they will question if we can have pepperoni (why else was it in Noor's home), or have to now convince adults and classmates that the book is wrong in addition to explaining that Muslims do not eat pork, a big task for the intended audience of preschool to third grade.  If you omit that one word, the book is wonderful, layered, joyful, and a lot of fun. 

Noor's friends are coming over, two girls and a boy, for the first time and Noor wants to make samosas to eat with them.  It is too early to call Dadijaan in Pakistan, and Noor thinks she remembers how to make them.  Abbu offers to order pizza, but Noor is determined, even when she discovers they don't have the necessary ingredients.  She puts on Dadijaan's kitchen dupatta, and with her parrot, Mithoo, encouraging her every time she gets stuck with "Sab theek hai. Sab theek Hoga! Everything's great, everything's going to be okay!" Noor heads to plan B, Awe-Samosas, samosas with unique fillings.


Noor gets Abbu onboard and helping and when her friends arrive, the turmeric colored pastries are ready for eating.  Some are apple-cinnamon filled, and remind Kaitlin of her grandma's Fourth of July apple-pie, some are stuffed with honey and pistachio like baklava according to Layla, and Jonathan finds the cheesy peperoni samosa genius.  When Dadijaan sees the pictures Abbu has sent at fajr, she calls and praises Noor with the friends hoping to have another samosa party when she is visiting next.

The book concludes with Dadijaan's Special Samosa Recipe, and a Glossary. 

[Lindsay Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a delightful book. But don’t read it on an empty stomach, because it will make you hungry! :) In this lovely book, Noor is excited to share her Dadijaan’s (grandmother’s) special recipe for samosas with her friends who are coming over. But when she can’t find it and it’s too early to call Pakistan, Noor decides to make her own attempt, even though her father suggests ordering pizza, which would be much easier. But Noor draws inspiration from memories of her Dadijaan, including a photo and wrapping her dupatta around her head like a turban, just like her Dadijaan does in the kitchen. But when she discovers there are no peas, one of the most important ingredients in the special recipe, she must overcome yet another hurdle with determination and creativity. She does so by making her own unique flavors and fillings for the samosas with the foods they have on hand.

I love how this story shows a child taking pride in her cultural background and wanting to share it with her friends. As the parent of 2 bicultural children, it was wonderful seeing her so self-assured and not embarrassed of her cultural food or differences. I love how it also shows her taking a special family/cultural recipe and making it her own – much to the delight of her friends. This is a very sweet story with warm and inviting illustrations. And there’s a recipe at the back! Yum!

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noor is so excited to have friends from school visit her home for the first time. She and her father decide that Dadijaan's Special Samosas would be the perfect snack to make for her friends, but where is the recipe? It's too early in Pakistan to call Dadijaan and ask for it. This is the first of many stumbling blocks that get in the way of Noor making the samosas. When things go awry her father gently suggests they just order pizza for this visit, but Noor will not be deterred. In the end her samosas may not be exactly like her grandmother's but her friends think they are delicious anyway. Abbas's story is brought to life by Bhagya Madanasinghe's bold, colorful illustrations which reflect Noor's bright personality. This book is a joyful celebration of family, tradition, and determination. Backmatter features a brief glossary for Urdu terms used throughout the text as well as the recipe for Dadijaan's traditional potato and pea samosas.

Recommended for grades K-3.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great way to follow how to make your own Samosas, accept, it’s not shown very well how to do the twist and flip to make the triangles. It describes how important it is, but there isn’t a good illustration on how to actually do it.

Noor misses her grandma. She has friends coming over and she wants to make Samosas like she always does with her grandma. So, with her in mind, she makes her own. She is missing some ingredients, so she has to get creative. I like the creative aspect of what she makes. She makes them American style.

The artwork is digital. The food is amazing looking. I’m hungry and need to go eat now. I will eat a samosas, but they aren’t my favorite thing at an Indian restaurant. I rarely eat them.

Kids into cooking and culture will enjoy this story.

[Khari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just adorable.

Just plain adorable.

We have a little girl who wants to share some of her culture with her friends but comes up against the facts of reality: not having a recipe, not having contact with the person who knows the recipe, time zone differences, and lack of ingredients. Never fear though! She overcomes all of these obstacles to make the perfect combinations for her friends.

It even has a recipe for samosas in the back of the book and a glossary to explain the words and cultural bits that readers wouldn't know unless they grew up in a Muslim background.

I mean, come on, she even has some Pakistani words in here. You could walk away having learned something from a new language, written out phonetically so even an elementary student can figure out how to say it. Great job.

Story: Cute and informative
Art: Cute and unique
Price: $19.99

[Daisy Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a warm and inspiring story about tradition and creativity which ends in a yummy culinary creation. Noor is having friends over and wants to share her grandma's mouth-watering treats with them. But they do not have all the ingredients for the filling. She gets upset at first, but then she decides to come up with "plan B" and puts a wonderful spin on her grandma's yummy treats.
What a great story to share with children about thinking outside the box. Instead of getting upset and shutting down, you push on with what you have.
Appendix in back of book which includes the original recipe of "Awe-samosas" and a glossary of Urdu terms.
The story is paired with adorably colorful illustrations.

[Chana Stiefel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awe-samosas is a mouth-watering intergenerational tale for all creative cooks and foodie cuties. Noor is excited that her friends are coming over, but what to serve them? She can’t find Dadijaan's recipe for her favorite crunchy snack–samosas. And Dadijaan, her grandmother, is still asleep in Pakistan. With Noor’s pet parrot’s Urdu refrain of “Everything great, everything will be okay,” she decides to improvise! Abu, her father, helps her stir up some creative fillings and they fold and fry some fresh samosas. Are they a success? Pick up your own delightful copy to find out Recipe and glossary included!

[Jilanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I don't know about others who pick up this book, but I got hungry while reading this story! And now I wish I could eat wheat because I really really really miss eating samosas. Especially the awe-samosas made by the star of this book! Maybe I could make them like dosas, instead....anyway, this is a fun cooking story about trial and error, about missing a revered elder (and trying to make one of their signature foods), and about making do with what you have (another great lesson about cooking and for all other things in life). The illustrations are just as luscious as the foods being prepared in the story. PLUS there's a fabulous recipe for samosas in the back!!!

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noor is having friends over and wants to make snacks of Samosas. She is stressed that her house has no peas for her favorite potato and pea samosas, but she improvises fillings that will most likely please her friends. She and her Dad (Abbu) cook together with the help of an adorable parrot pet and have to work through some issues along the way to create the perfect snacks.

Having tried Samosas for the first time this year at a staff luncheon, I was hooked by this title! Though the story is spattered with Urdu, it is a simple read with a repeating line that is sure to encourage interaction from listeners. I highly recommend it for elementary libraries!

[Kelsey Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWE-SAMOSAS! Is a delightful story about a child determined to make her Dadijaan’s (Grandma’s) special samosas. She persists through challenges and eventually invents new samosa fillings that her friends enjoy. The story has a lovely theme of family love, along with determination and creativity. It is also a lovely depiction of a child sharing her culture and traditions with her peers. The illustrations are bright and engaging, and there’s a recipe at the back of the book. I highly recommend this joyful book for all young readers!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noor's friends are coming and she wants to make her Dadijaan's samosa recipe. One problem: she doesn't have all of the ingredients. What will she do? Can she adjust and make some changes?

A delightful story about family, change, and an awesome-Samosa!

#OwnVoices author and baker Marzieh Abbas shares a familial tale, recipe and glossary of Urdu terms used in the text. Bhagya Madanasinghe provides vibrant and beautiful illustrations for Noor's story.

I love that the recipe is in the back. It sounds as delicious as those mentioned in the story. Who is up for a samosa party??

[Stacy S. Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for the young foodie
Everyone loves to impress their friends when they visit and Noor wants to share samosas using her grandmother’s recipe, but she can’t find it. She can’t call her grandmother due to the time difference, so she must let go of perfection and improvise. This is a fun story where Noor wants to share samosas with her friends and even waves off dad’s attempt to order pizza. This is a fun story and may introduce a new food to your children. There’s a recipe in the back to make a traditional potato and pea samosas.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awe-Samosas! is a beautiful tale of an intergenerational family cooking together, failing together, trying together, and succeeding together! It follows Noor and Abu as they try to recreate Dadijaan’s Special Samosa Recipe. Working from memory, they don’t always get things right and they don’t always have what they need, but they go with the spirit of awesomness and create their own special samosa recipe—Awe-Samosas! Be sure to have your own ingredients on hand to take on the recipe at the end of the book because, without a doubt, you’ll want a samosa by the end of your read!

[Kirsten Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noor's friends are coming over, and she wants to make Dadijaan's Special Samosa recipe—but she doesn't have any peas. Determined to create something unique, she decides to make her own recipe and calls them Awe-samosas! This story is charming and playful, offering a delightful glimpse into Noor's language and culture. However, readers unfamiliar with the language may find it challenging to fully understand some parts, which is a notable drawback. Still, it is a book worth reading for its heartwarming story and cultural insight.

[Jessica Stremer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noor wants to make a snack for her friends. Her dad Abu suggests pizza, but Noor has her mind set on her grandmother's samosas. There's only one problem - she's missing a key ingredient. Noor pivots, and with the help of her dad and a little experimentation, she comes up with a new variety of samosa to serve to her friends. This book includes a recipe, which is a good thing because you'll be hungry after reading it!

[Lydia Lukidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awe-samosas if a fun picture book that celebrates family and cultural traditions. It's Noor’s first time making her Dadijaan’s Special Samosa recipe but she's unable to get in touch with her Dadijaan because it's late in Pakinstna. She is forced to improvise by using her creativity and problem solving skills. This is a multi-level narrative about family, food, culture, and creativity. I love the back matter and Abbas provided a traditional potato and pea samosas recipe.

[Zainab Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely intergenerational story shows how grandparents can be a part of a child's life even when they're far apart. It also promote ingenuity and perseverance. All things children need to learn. And it is a book about friendships and connecting people together. That even beef pepperoni is good!

The illustrations are beautiful and there is so much for a child to see on each page. Beautifully done.
I would recommend this book to all schools and kids!

[Jyoti Gopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noor is ready to make her favorite samosas with her grandma’s recipe when she discovers she is missing key ingredients. Daadijaan is in Pakistan sleeping and can’t help - but Noor, with her father’s - and her pet parrot’s - help pivots and displaying resilience and ingenuity, creates some mouthwatering new samosa recipes. Do her friends love her awe-samosas? Read and find out! Illustrator Madanasinghe has added pizzaz and flavor with her bright colors and clean lines.
A delightful read!

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cute little quick read blending family tradition and innovation as the little girl makes samosas without the traditional ingredients her dadijan (grandmother) uses. Nice to see the girl's Abbu (father) and parrot helping out (no mention of mom at all). The illustrations are bold and colorful and depicts a typical 'desi' kitchen.
The author includes a recipe for making the standard potato and peas samosa as well as short glossary of everyday Urdu words.

[Stef Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet story introduces us to Noor, who wants to make her traditional snack of samosas for her friends - but she doesn't remember exactly how to make them or have the right ingredients - but with determination Noor cooks up a fun treat, with her own twist!

The illustrations in this book vibrant and engaging, matching Noor's fun energy. I love the Urdu words sprinkled throughout, with the glossary in back, as well as the recipe.

A fun add to any shelf!

[Acamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about problem solving and trying something new! Even though the final result wasn't a traditional samosa, Noor was able to grow from the process of figuring out how to go with the flow when she was out of the usual samosa ingredients. It's a great reminder that cooking is creative. I also love how there is so much heart in the story; you can really get a sense of Marzieh Abbas' background. The recipe in the book of the book is a treat, too!

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number one, samosas are the best.

And our main character in the story is ready to make some of her grandma's fantastic samosas for her friends who are coming over, however the kitchen doesn't have all of the ingredients it needs. Encouraged by her father, she creates one-of-a-kind awe-samosas made out of the ingredients that they do have.

Her friends come over and appreciate the delectable treats made with love and creativity and a pinch of tradition.