10 Gulab Jamuns: Counting with an Indian Sweet Treat

After Idu and Adu’s mother makes 10 gulab jamuns—fried dough balls, soaked in syrup—for a dinner party, is there any chance that they’ll last until the meal? Not likely, and after the brothers gobble up six of the treats, they help their busy mother make a new batch (after a brief math lesson). Acharya’s straightforward storytelling and Alexandre’s swoopy digital illustrations create a cozy portrait of Indian home life. It seems unlikely that the boys wouldn’t have heard of gulab jamuns before, so their mother’s initial description of them seems to be for readers’ benefit. And when Acharya writes that “suddenly, Adu had an idea” just before he eats three of the sweets, it’s unclear what she’s referring to. But these don’t detract much from this warm family story, which concludes with a gulab jamun recipe for hungry readers. Ages 4–8. (BookLife)