WORDS THAT TASTE LIKE HOME

A young Indian immigrant boy learns to appreciate his mother tongue.

“Born into a language that tickled his toes and kissed his cheeks,” Rohan loves listening to Muthassi (Malayalam for Grandmother) tell stories and helping her prepare her mango pickle recipe. When Rohan moves to another country with his parents, he begins learning a new language and stops using his mother tongue as much. Eventually, he struggles to find words to convey his adventures and emotions when talking over the phone to Muthassi, who still lives in their old village. Upset at losing proficiency in his native language, Rohan stops speaking to Muthassi. When it’s time for their family summer holiday trip, an apprehensive Rohan journeys back to his homeland and rediscovers his lost roots. Cocooned in Parappukkaran’s poetic prose, which cleverly deploys metaphor to demonstrate the power of language, the tale will resonate with all children who straddle two different cultures. Pereira’s digitally layered textures and graphic imagery create authentic village and cityscapes. She makes effective use of stippled blue shapes to highlight Rohan’s sadness, followed by a transition to color as he taps into his reservoir of memories to pull out forgotten words.

A poignant, lovingly crafted tale of identity, belonging, and language.