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Summary
Summary
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2019
An Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book 2019
Six-year-old Bilal introduces his friends to his favorite dish--daal!--in this charming picture book that showcases the value of patience, teamwork, community, and sharing.
Six-year-old Bilal is excited to help his dad make his favorite food of all-time: daal! The slow-cooked lentil dish from South Asia requires lots of ingredients and a whole lot of waiting. Bilal wants to introduce his friends to daal. They've never tried it! As the day goes on, the daal continues to simmer, and more kids join Bilal and his family, waiting to try the tasty dish. And as time passes, Bilal begins to wonder: Will his friends like it as much as he does?
This debut picture book by Aisha Saeed, with charming illustrations by Anoosha Syed, uses food as a means of bringing a community together to share in each other's family traditions.
Author Notes
Aisha Saeed is the author of Written in the Stars , which was listed as a Best Book of 2015 by Bank Street Books, a 2016 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and named one of the Top Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read in 2016. She is also the author of the middle grade novel Amal Unbound , which has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews and is a Global Read Aloud for 2018. Her other picture books include Bilal Cooks Daal and The Together Tree . Aisha is a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books. She has been featured on MTV, HuffPost , NBC, and the BBC, and her writings have appeared in publications including the journal ALAN and the Orlando Sentinel .
Anoosha Syed is a Pakistani-Canadian illustrator and character designer for animation, based in Texas. She graduated with a BFA in illustration at Ceruleum: Ecole d'arts Visuels in Lausanne, Switzerland. Bilal Cooks Daal is her first picture book.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Saeed, a founder of We Need Diverse Books, offers a relatable story about trying new foods and introducing friends to family traditions. Bilal loves daal and couldn't be happier to share it with his two friends, Elias and Morgan. The kids-who, in Syed's friendly digital art, show just what they are feeling in their facial expressions-help out with the spices: "Bilal breathes in the scent of turmeric, chili, cumin. Morgan sprinkles salt." But when Morgan and Elias express uncertainty ("''It smells funny,' whispers Elias"), Bilal worries, thinking that maybe "his friends won't like daal at all." After an afternoon of fun, and with more friends in tow, it's time to eat. Readers worried about how their family meals will be received can take heart: Bilal's friends eagerly try and enjoy the meal. Ages 4-8. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Pakistani American boy Bilal and friends help his father make daal, a thick lentil stew common in South Asia. They cook then play for hours, because "daal takes time." As they prepare, patiently wait, and enjoy the dish, Bilal's friends demonstrate open-mindedness to cultural differences. Colorful digital illustrations accentuate humorous antics in the kitchen and at play. Author's note and recipe included. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Novelist Saeed makes her picture-book debut with this delicious tale about a boy and his beloved daal.When Bilal's father begins to make the South Asian legume stew, Bilal and his friends Morgan and Elias are eager to help, but Abu tells them, "This dish takes patience.This dish takes time." The children choose to make chana daal (with split chickpeas) and line up the spices: turmeric, chili, cumin. But when Morgan and Elias wonder aloud why the daal "looks" and "smells" funny, Bilal becomes concerned that his friends won't like his favorite food at all. The daal simmers all dayas Bilal, Morgan, and Elias play hopscotch, swim, and hike and other friends join themand once the sun begins to set, Bilal's father calls them all home. They break naan around the table and share the steamy, soupy, garlicky, salty, sweet, creamy daal. "Bilal, you were rightdaal tastes great!" they say. The tale centers on a situation familiar to many children of immigrantsthe othering of the foods of their homesand validates young readers' cultural experiences. Saeed's inclusion of a South Asian father engaged in domestic work is radical and welcome, and Syed's inviting, bold, cartoonlike illustrations depict brown-skinned Bilal surrounded by children of a variety of skin tones (Morgan presents white and Elias presents black). A quietly radical, eminently delightful book. (author's note, recipe) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When Abu calls his son in to cook dinner, Bilal's friends are curious about why dinner needs to be prepared so early. Daal takes a long time to cook, so Bilal invites his friends to help him choose lentils and spices from the pantry and mix them together in a large pot. Afterward, Bilal catches whispers that the daal smells funny and worries that his friends won't like it. There's no knowing until evening. When the daal finally finishes simmering, the kids gather around the table, where sounds of slurp! and mmm! allay Bilal's concerns. This story is refreshingly innovative in numerous ways. First, with a father and son in charge of cooking and no mother in sight, gender roles are shifted. Second, it tackles the matter of different food with joy rather than angst. And third, Urdu words are seamlessly integrated without cushioning for the linguistic outsider. Cheerful illustrations capture the children's reactions and depict a happily multicultural cast. An author's note and chana daal recipe conclude this lovely picture-book debut.--Amina Chaudhri Copyright 2019 Booklist
