Kadooboo! A silly South Indian folktale

PreS-Gr 2--The subtitle reveals a lot about this story. Kabir, a young boy anxious to get home to give his mother sweets called kadooboo, runs across scene after scene within the pages. On his way, Kabir meets friends and tells them to come with him for the sweets, but he keeps getting the name wrong. Once he gets home, the thunderclaps outside remind him of the proper name of this sweet fried dumpling. The bright colors and excited faces of children drive the story at a swift pace. Readers will all be running with Kabir, eager to get home and share his treat. The repetition of sounds through the book will delight story audiences. There is also a recipe for kadooboo at the end. VERDICT A slight but sweet tale that seamlessly conveys the cultural relevance of this much-loved treat.--Jessica Durham

A retelling of a South Indian folktale about a delicious sweet with a unique name. While playing at his friend Anya's house, Kabir smells something scrumptious. It turns out that Anya's father is frying up coconut-filled dumplings called kadooboo. Anya's father sends Kabir home with some warm kadooboo, but Kabir must run back to his house before it begins to rain. On his way, he repeats the word kadooboo to himself so that he'll know what to tell his mother. While he's trying to remember the three-syllable word, he runs into several friends, who end up joining him: Josh, who invites Kabir to read comic books with him; Ganesh, who tells Kabir to enjoy some of the coconuts his father is harvesting; and Zara, who's playing cricket and calls out to Kabir to duck to avoid a stray ball. As he speaks to each of them, the name of the treat gets mixed up in his head. Is it called a book-oo-doo? A duck-oo-boo? Or something else entirely? It's not until he arrives home and the sounds of the rising storm boom outside the house that he remembers the word kadooboo--just in time to share the sumptuous food with his friends. The characters' varying skin tones, hair textures, and names truly represent India's diversity. The illustrations' vibrant neon palette wonderfully complements the fanciful text, which makes generous use of onomatopoeia. Bouncy, joyful, and delectable. (author's note, list of South Indian words, recipe for kadooboo) (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.