Veena and the Red Roti: A Story of Hope During Partition. Written by Namita Moolani Mehra and illustrated by Beena Mistry. Kids Can Press, 2024. $21.99 ages 4 and up

 

"By late afternoon, they arrived at a camp -
a dreary row of former army barracks, now 
a place for migrant families to shelter. 
Veena rolled down her sleeves to cover her 
bangles. They didn't belong in this dusty chaos."

Veena loves the kitchen. It is where the women in her life cook and chat. Veena watches these beloved women as they make their roti; as she does, she is learning how to make her own. Much practice results in tasty bread. All around her, people talk and play, gossip, and bring life to her home. 

When word breaks about a NEW India, there is much talk about how their home country will change. Wanting to be free from British rule, India faces partition. Their country becomes India and Pakistan - two countries now, divided by religion. 

There is great fear for Veena's community; her family decides to leave immediately. Soon, a train carries them to a refugee camp, where they long to find the food and rest they need. The roti shared tastes nothing like the roti she is accustomed to eating. Life changes immeasurably. 

"Some nights when Veena closed her eyes, the 
murmurs of the little ones and soothing chatter
of mothers reminded her of home. 
But they had no home."

Life in the refugee camp is so sad. It leads Veena to the camp kitchen where she offers to help. When asked what she can do, she suggests making perfect roti! The ingredients are nothing like what she had at home; Veena makes the best of it! While still longing for home, being in the kitchen makes her (and the rest of the women) feel better to be doing something they love for others. After her Baba finds a job, the family leaves the camp for a new home in Delhi - a place where Veena can make as much roti as she wants to make. 

I have never read a book for children about partition. There may be others. It is important for them to learn history through books that put readers at the center of the action. By seeing what happens to Veena and her family, they come to empathize and understand a dark and difficult chapter in her life through the eyes of a child their age. 

Back matter includes a glossary of terms not likely familiar to young readers, an author's note about her grandparents and their journey in 1947 during The Partition, historical context for what happened, and a map to show how the country was divided.