Stay for Dinner (Sandhya Parappukkaran, illus Michelle Pereira, Bright Light)
If ever Australian publishers needed inspiration to produce more diverse picture books written by own voices authors, Sandhya Parappukkaran’s Stay for Dinner is a perfect example. It is an entertaining story laden with representations of Kerala Indian, Italian, Asian and Australian cultures. Parappukkaran’s use of literary devices such as onomatopoeia, imagery and alliteration—‘ting-ting’, ‘click-clack’, ‘sauce splashes’ and ‘I blush like a banana blossom’—creates a fun and energetic tale about a young girl’s worries when it comes to sharing food and culture with friends. With images crafted by award-winning illustrator Michelle Pereira, Stay for Dinner is such a visually pleasing book, with colourful images of sadhya on bright green leaves and gold-embroidered kurtas. The vivid depictions of food reminded me of sending my own children to school with zaatar or labne flatbread rolls. Such an act would have me worrying about whether or not they would get teased as I had in the early 80s. In this way, Stay for Dinner is a requirement on every bookshelf as a resource that teaches vital social skills and cultural appreciation—it’s a salve for everyday anxieties any child may feel in regards to fitting in with their peers. This picture book is a wonderful revelation of the true diversity evident within Australia.
Books+Publishing reviewer: Meyrnah Khodr is a Lebanese-Australian writer and educator from Bankstown. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.
