Rice & Rocks – A Book celebrating Culture, Diversity and Traditions
I am excited to share with you all Rice & Rocks– a picture book that talks about food from a culture and diversity point of view. I am sure you are wondering what Rice &Rocks are… Read on.
The child in the story, Giovanni, hates rice and beans. He calls them rice and ‘rocks’. This Jamaican dish is his family’s Sunday tradition but his friends are coming over and he is worried they may not like it. His Auntie along with their pet – a magical parrot named Jasper, come to the rescue. Together they embark on a magical journey that takes them to the countries his friends are from. They inquire if they have a traditional rice and bean dish in those countries. Yes, they do! The child comes home happy and confident that his friends may like his traditional dish after all.
This exciting story celebrates the varied traditions of every culture while also highlighting the delicious similarities that bring us all together.
I am happy to see this book and my children enjoyed it. The book is colourful and engaging with beautiful graphics. We really enjoyed how the drawings made the mood of the story come alive. The trumpet playing, the colourful bird and Giovanni’s home… we loved how the book draws your attention in to all the details.
My 8 year old found it relatable because he studies in a multicultural school and we are always talking about who among his friends likes what. We recently had a Cultural day at school when his friends didn’t like a traditional juice my son had taken for them. We had talked about their countries traditional juices and different tastes then. This story got us talking about food and culture again.
Sandra L. Richards is the debut picture book author of Rice & Rocks. With Rice & Rocks, Sandra brings a unique contribution to the world of children’s books. Sandra, an American-born daughter of Jamaican immigrant parents, hopes the book will serve as an educational resource for families seeking to teach their children the value of their heritage and the importance of cultural diversity. You can follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads or LinkedIn.
This book will be released on August 23rd but you can very easily order it on Amazon by clicking below.
This is such a fun book! Thank you for sharing it!