Faruq and the Wiri Wiri

Faruq feels the weight of his family's expectations - they assume he will grow up to become a doctor like his father, but Faruq is fascinated by food and flavours, and wishes he could learn to cook like his grandmother. He is especially intrigued by the bright red wiri wiri peppers that grow in his neighbourhood. When his grandmother wakes up one day too poorly to cook lunch, the opportunity presents itself for Faruq to cook for his family and prove his passion. 

Prabhat's vibrant illustrations pair wonderfully with Payne's sensory language, particularly when depicting cookery scenes, with onomatopoeia and speech bubbles further lifting the text off the page, which also features some Guyanese dialect in the dialogue. The book closes with a child-friendly recipe for Guyanese lime cookies. A lively picturebook about subverting gendered expectations and celebrating culture and heritage through food.