Purchase to Support Our Program

“Part informational, part family story, this attractive book will speak to young kitchen helpers and those with loved ones in far-off places.”
—School Library Journal

Tomatoes for Neela

Written by Padma Lakshmi
Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

Neela loves cooking with her amma and writing down the recipes in her notebook. It makes her feel closer to her paati who lives far away in India. On Saturdays, Neela and Amma go to the green market and today they are buying tomatoes to make Paati’s famous sauce. But first, Neela needs to learn about all the different kinds of tomatoes they can pick from. And as Neela and Amma cook together, they find a way for Paati to share in both the love and the flavors of the day.

Bestselling author and host of Bravo’s Top Chef and Hulu’s Taste the Nation Padma Lakshmi takes young readers on an intergenerational journey full of delicious flavors and fun food facts that celebrates a family’s treasured recipes. And Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal brings this circle of women to life with vivid detail and warmth. Tomatoes for Neela lovingly affirms how we can connect to other cultures, as well as to our own, through food.

Primary ISBN: 9780593202708
Available As: Hardcover
Picture Book, Age 03 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , ,

Setting: United States

Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: Unknown

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.