Miriam Rosenbloom at Scribble has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Lunch at Number 10 Pomegranate Street by Felicita Sala. This is a beautifully-illustrated cookbook for young children with a story woven throughout, and a gentle message about appreciating different cultures and trying new foods. Rights were acquired from Éditions Cambourakis via The Picture Book Agency.
Based in Italy and raised in Australia, Sala is already internationally renowned for her illustrations to works including Michael Morpurgo’s My Father is a Polar Bear, but this book marks her authorial debut. In 2018 books Sala illustrated were nominated for the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal and selected by the New York Times and New York Public Library as among the year’s 10 Best Illustrated Books. Images from Lunch at Number 10 Pomegranate Street were selected for the shortlist of the Golden Pinwheel illustrators competition at the Shanghai International Book Fair earlier this year.
Lunch at Number 10 Pomegranate Street tells the story of an apartment building where everyone comes from different places. Each page features a story about one of the inhabitants along with a child-friendly recipe from their country. The book culminates with the neighbours coming together to share a communal meal.
Sala says about the project: ‘This book is about what food and eating means to me, the act of feeding others, of being fed, of sharing what made us from the places that made us. These are the dishes that I cook for my family, or that are simple and comforting to make and eat with children. But beware, this is not a “kids’ food” book. I believe in kids eating what we eat, and learning about food in the same way they learn about the world, with curiosity and wonder.’
Scribble’s publisher Miriam Rosenbloom says: ‘Felicita is an immense talent and we are thrilled to be able to publish her first authored book in Australia and the UK. Lunch at Number 10 Pomegranate Street is a perfect book for our time that celebrates our histories and shared humanity.’
Scribble will be hosting an author lunch in March 2019 (featuring all the recipes from the book, naturally!) and welcomes booksellers, bloggers and reviewers to attend – get in touch with sarah [at] scribepub.co.uk if you are interested in coming along.
Lunch at Number 10 Pomegranate Street will be published in the UK in May 2019.
