Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Beautifully illustrated tale shows love of food and family.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
A special book of family recipes sits on the kitchen counter in TOMATOES FOR NEELA, and Neela's amma (mother) writes down all the ingredients for her favorite dishes. Tomato season is Neela's favorite time at the market, when they choose sun-ripened tomatoes to make jars and jars of the family's beloved sauce to eat when the seasons change.
Is It Any Good?
By the time readers get to the recipes late in this mouthwatering story, the gorgeous illustrations and flavor descriptions make it practically impossible not to want a tomato, or a jar of sauce. In Tomatoes for Neela, readers see how food forms a special bond between generations, and they can think about how that works in their own families, what they love to cook for each other. The history in the book gives context and surprising depth, and two things about how tomatoes arrive at our table stand out: the mention of the difficult work farm laborers do to plant and harvest food, and the idea of eating food when it's in season.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what foods their family cherishes like the tomatoes in Tomatoes for Neela. Does your family have any recipes that have been handed down for generations?
What cooking smell immediately reminds you of a special place?
What other books about food have you read?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Juana Martinez-Neal
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Cooking , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : August 31, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 7
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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