Kadooboo!

Kabir has just picked up a treat fresh from the pan: golden brown, puffy, sweet and crunchy. He wants to carry some home to share, and he has to hurry before the rain arrives. There is one problem. His Amma is sure to ask what the treat is called, and he needs to remember its name.

Of course he can remember it, as long as the fun and the friends he meets on the street do not get in the way. The sights and sounds around him start to scramble his memory. A cool new comic turns the treat into book-oo-doo, and when a ball comes whizzing at his head and he ducks, it becomes duck-oo-boo. By the time Kabir reaches home, he has a trail of friends behind him and a jumble of names in his head. Will he get the right one out?

This picture book is a modern retelling of a South Indian folktale. It combines playful wordplay with quick pacing, and it centres on friends, family and food, which makes it a good fit for reading aloud.