1 2 3 Idlis in a Sambar Sea

A picture book that brings together numbers, food and places all over India? Yes, please!

Although I’m usually a stickler and don’t like near rhymes like fry and style or sea and puris, I found myself enjoying 1 2 3 Idlis in a Sambar Sea. Books that appeal to all our senses are always a treat, and this one does it perfectly. The illustrations by Tanya Sharma bring to life the sights, sounds and smells of all the places we visit. And the text by Ashwitha Jayakumar has us eating a jalebi on page 1 (though how is one jalebi enough for anyone?), then parathas, egg curry, bhel puri, aamras … Yum!

More, the book is not just a culinary treat; it takes us on a journey across the length and breadth of the country. With kebabs and fish, biryani and chaas, we visit Amritsar, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur—a new place on every page. What a delightful book!