"A celebration of family, community, and a young person’s power to make changes. "
March 2025 Debut of the Month
Saturdays are really busy in Meena’s house. It’s the day when all their friends and family visit. Almost from the moment she gets up, Meena and her sisters are busy helping their mum, cleaning the house, doing the shopping, making chai for all their visitors, helping her aunties cooking in the kitchen. She gets to sit down and watch Indian films with her cousins before it’s time to help make dinner for everyone.
Yasmeen Ismail’s wonderful illustrations, full of detail, movement and characters, make sure we feel all the busyness and the fun, but there’s one thing that Meena doesn’t like: the girls do all the work, the boys don’t have to help at all. Her mum says that when she grew up in Gujarat, that’s just the way it worked. Meena decides things need to change, and makes sure they do.
There’s so much to enjoy in this picture book, not least the way it immerses readers in Meena’s world, with all its chaos and happy chatter. It’s also a lovely insight into Meena’s community and traditions, a celebration of family, and of young people’s ability to change things.
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A slice-of-life story with a feminist message about a young Indian girl and her sisters managing a bustling house full of boisterous guests on a busy Saturday.
Saturday mornings start early for Meena. She and her sisters watch the sun rise while drinking chai before they clean the house and then head to the grocery store . . . while their brother gets to stay in bed. As the guests arrive, including Meena's favorite cousins, the women crowd into the kitchen to cook. The doorbell rings nonstop as family, neighbors, and friends fill the bustling house. Once fresh chapatis are made, dinner begins-for the men. But Meena spots an empty seat at the table and decides today is the day she makes an important change.
Meena's Saturday by Kusum Mepani, with exuberant illustrations by Yasmeen Ismail, is the charming story of a family's weekend ritual, a love letter to the gatherings of community and family, and an example of how changing long-standing traditions can start with you.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Meena's Saturday and determined it is suitable for children aged 3-6 years old
Meena's Saturday features in the following genres: Featured Books for 3+ readers, Featured Books for 5+ readers, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, World Religions, People / Places, Picture storybooks, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Girls and women, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Home and daily life, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s picture books, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts, Children’s / Teenage: General interest
Meena's Saturday is available in Paperback, Hardback
Meena's Saturday was written by Kusum Mepani and published by Puffin an imprint of Penguin Random House Children's UK
Meena's Saturday has 40 pages
£8.09
