Thanks to Readers First for sending me an advanced copy of this book. I was really drawn by the bright and colourful pages and front cover and think it will really help it to appeal to young children . It’s also great that it includes a recipe for Guyanese lime cookies which is one of the items Faruq prepares during the book. I only didn’t rate it higher because I was sad by the gender stereotypes that still played out in the book. Faruq’s grandma, Ajee, wont teach him how to cook because he can’t grow up to be a chef - she literally tells he he has to be a doctor like his father. I’m not sure I would want children to be exposed to those sorts of outdated ideas - she won’t let him help and sends him out to play football where he ends up sneaking across to the old lady next door who does teach him how to cook and then he surprises his family by preparing a feast when Ajee is too ill to cook. Obviously it’s heart-warming that Ajee changes her attitude and Faruq is able to pursue his dreams but it’s maddening he wasn’t allowed to in the first place! I still love the pictures by Sandhya Prabhat and the celebration of the food and culture and the author, Sophia Payne has done a great job of expressing that through each page.