Let me tell you something about cultural identity that nobody puts in parenting books. Your child will learn who they are not from lengthy lectures about heritage or carefully planned museum visits. They will learn it from your kitchen. From the smell of jollof rice simmering on Sunday afternoons. From watching you season chicken with that specific combination of spices that somehow tastes like home even when you are thousands of miles away. From the way your face lights up when you taste something that reminds you of your grandmother’s cooking. Food is not just nutrition. It is memory. It is identity. It is the most delicious form of cultural education that exists. And if you think I am exaggerating go ahead and tell a West African especially the Nigerians, that their jollof is not the best and watch what happens. I will wait.
This is exactly why My Rice Is Best by Selina Brown is such a brilliant gift to children ages 4 to 8. The book takes little readers on a flavorful journey across cultures from jollof to fried rice, biryani to paella and manages to spark a friendly food rivalry that will make you laugh while teaching something profound. Each page bursts with pride and laughter as different characters celebrate their version of rice. But here is the genius part. The story does not end with someone winning and everyone else losing. It ends with the beautiful reminder that every culture has something delicious to share. Imagine that. A children’s book that teaches cultural pride without turning it into a competition. Revolutionary. The book celebrates food friendship and cultural appreciation in a way children easily understand without making them feel like they have to choose between loving their own culture and respecting someone else’s.
When children see their food in books something magical happens. They see themselves as worthy of celebration. They learn that the dishes their parents cook are not strange or exotic but valuable contributions to the beautiful diversity of human experience. That child who feels embarrassed when their lunchbox smells different from everyone else’s? They need this book. That child who comes home asking why their family eats weird food? They desperately need this book. My Rice Is Best gives children permission to be proud of their culinary heritage while simultaneously teaching them to appreciate what others bring to the table. Literally. It transforms food from a source of shame or confusion into a bridge that connects cultures rather than divides them.
Perfect for story time, classroom reading, or family conversations about identity, this book does what the best children’s literature should do. It teaches without preaching. It celebrates without excluding. It builds cultural confidence while nurturing respect for others. So the next time your child comes home from school talking about how their friend’s family makes rice differently do not just nod and move on. Pull out this book. Start a conversation about all the beautiful ways humans have learned to prepare the same grain. Talk about how food carries stories and history and love from one generation to the next. And maybe while you are at it make a big pot of whatever rice is best in your home. Because at the end of the day the best rice is not actually about whose recipe wins. It is about the love that goes into cooking it and the memories created around sharing it. Although between you and me we all know jollof is clearly superior.
