Manvinder’s Medu Vada

Manvinder’s Medu Vada by Riddhi Maniar Doda and Vinayak Varma had me chuckling at each page! I could completely identify with Manvinder, who refuses to eat something that doesn’t look like it’s supposed to look! As a child, I had a problem with the same food–vadas. How could it be a real vada if it didn’t have a hole? This, despite the fact that vadas (without holes) were made at home for special occasions, and I enjoyed them too!

When Manvinder’s family moves to Bengaluru, he eats a medu vada for the first time. It’s delicious. Somehow, gobi parathas no longer look so tempting! And so, the family sets off on a mission to make medu vadas for him.

With each page, Manvinder grows more and more upset. A medu vada is supposed to be round! With a hole in it! The page that had me laughing aloud was the one where he’s fooled into eating a donut instead!

I love the wholesomeness of Manvinder’s Medu Vada, the way the whole family gets together to make Manvinder happy. The best part is that through it all, Manvinder doesn’t come across as a spoiled, demanding brat, just as a child who wants to eat something yummy. And who hasn’t been that child? Manvinder’s Medu Vada is a lovely story, one that, like so many other Hook Books, brings text and illustrations together delightfully!