To celebrate back-to-school season, we’re honouring Lunch From Home, written by Joshua David Stein and illustrated by Jing Li. This touching tale celebrates cultural diversity through the lens of school lunches.
Inspired by the childhood stories of acclaimed chefs Niki Russ Federman, Ray Garcia, Preeti Mistry, & Mina Park, the book introduces us to four children who bring their favourite home cooked meals (like dhokla cake, gimbap & more) to school for lunch. At first, their peers are unsure about these dishes, sticking to their familiar sandwiches & making the four kids feel left out.
As the story unfolds, the classmates learn to appreciate the exciting colours & flavours & start to learn the moral of the story: every lunch is delicious & special to the person enjoying it, & new flavours can always surprise us.
school lunches from around the world
The kids in Lunch From Home all have tasty lunches packed by their parents or caregivers. But if you’re curious about what schools offer in different parts of the world, check out these exciting resources!
- Kyushoku: The Making of a Japanese School Lunch
- Feeding The Future: Brazil’s School-lunch Program Nourishes Kids and Farmers
- The Coalition for Healthy School Food’s webinar series on various global school lunch programs
What was your go-to lunch box meal when you were a kid? Let us know in the comments!