Anni Dreams of Biryani has a bittersweet ending. And that colored my feelings about the story Namita Moolani Mehra tells. I was on board with our young hero, Anni, as she tries to figure out how to make biryani as well as Uncle (as the man who owns the café across the way is called) does. But no matter what she does, she cannot get the secret from this grumpy (but eyes shining) man. Oh, her biryani comes close, but is not exactly right. And one day, she learns some horrible news, Uncle is closing the shop! For good! Will she find the secrets in time?
And there is where I was lost. Wait? Uncle is closing the shop?!? How can he do this? That is not how this story is supposed to end! However, (SPOILER) yes, he closes the shop, but it does work out. Still, I was not entirely happy. Mehra, why did you pull on my heart strings so much?
However, throughout the story, I was always happy with the illustrations of Chaaya Prabhat. They are vibrant, but not overwhelmingly so. There are fun colors, perfect details and the right amount of it all. The culture comes to life without having to be pushy, though we do learn Uncle is a term of endearment, not Anni’s actual uncle, from a direct comment to the reader and not just the text flowing naturally allowing this fact, or the illustrations allowing us this piece of knowledge.
It might not be an easy read aloud to a group, but also would work well if the group was “small enough” as it is slightly longer than some picture books. It can be for all ages but do adapt it for your reader as the younger reader/listener might not be ready. And the reader who can read but needs help could read as well as the older reader who is into longer books. The picture book format might not be appealing to that age, but it is perfect for the second to third grade solo reader as well.