A CHILDREN’s book that combines storytelling with recipes and language lessons has been published recently to help young readers connect with Gujarati heritage.
Gathiya Girl, written by educator and author Divya Mistry-Patel, known as Dee, is aimed at bilingual children and features text in phonetic English, Gujarati script, and English translation. The book includes recipes for Gujarati dishes, comprehension questions, and links to an audiobook.
The project was developed in collaboration with Prashad, an award-winning restaurant in Bradford.
Dee, who founded Academic Achievements Ltd, said the book serves as a way for children to learn and connect in both languages.
The author also released songs titled Gathiya Girl and Oh Mari Gathiya Girl on streaming platforms Amazon Music, Spotify and YouTube.
At the book launch on October 11, participants of different ages worked in mixed teams to translate words between English and Gujarati. The event included activities designed to help children explore the language with the participation of grandparents and other family members.
The event was attended by Kaushy from Prashad restaurant. According to the author, each page of the book encourages readers to learn the Gujarati alphabet in its original script. The format allows the book to be used by early readers as well as older children who want to explore cooking traditional dishes.
Dee highlighted concerns about representation in children’s publishing.
Research by Inclusive Books for Children showed only 35 out of 2,721 books published featured south Asian main characters. Dee expressed concern that diaspora communities may lose their mother tongues without more resources.
The author said languages and stories from different communities deserve to be celebrated and to have a place in mainstream publishing. “Our society is very inclusive, everybody reinforces the same message about the benefits of reading, yet we do not see these opportunities in print,” Dee said. She added that Academic Achievements Ltd is creating space for such books because children need opportunities to develop a love for their mother tongue through reading.
Gathiya Girl is available on Amazon.
