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The Spice Box

Illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat
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Hardcover
$19.99 US
10.38"W x 9.38"H x 0.35"D   (26.4 x 23.8 x 0.9 cm) | 15 oz (414 g) | 24 per carton
On sale Apr 16, 2024 | 40 Pages | 9780593427132
Age 3-7 years | Preschool - 2
Reading Level: Lexile AD760L | Fountas & Pinnell M
Sales rights: World

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additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
A CALIBA GOLDEN POPPY AWARD FINALIST • A father and son share family stories through a spice box, handed down from generation to generation, in this tender picturebook.

Rishi's grandma arrives from India today, and he longs to cook curry alongside his Dad using the delicious flavors from his family's spice box. But this spice box is more than just fragrant spices in shades of gold and ruby. This spice box holds memories that are passed down from one generation to the next, as each found their place in this wide world. When Rishi drops the box that holds the family's heart and history, he draws courage and meaning from their treasured past to set things right.
  • WINNER | 2025
    South Asia Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Texas 2x2 Reading List
  • SHORTLIST | 2025
    One Book, One San Diego
  • SELECTION | 2024
    APALA Best of the Best Booklist Selection
"A warm tale of family bursting with color and love." —Kirkus Reviews
Meera Sriram grew up in India and moved to the U.S. at the turn of the millennium. She is the author of several picture books, including A Garden in My Hands and The Spice Box. Her books have been selected Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), and Bank Street College, and have received starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She’s a two-time recipient of the South Asia Book Award. An electrical engineer in her past life, she now enjoys writing for children and advocating for early and multicultural literacy. Meera loves yoga and chai, and lives with her husband and two children in Berkeley, California. View titles by Meera Sriram
Sandhya Prabhat is an independent animator and illustrator based in the Bay Area, California, who hails from Chennai, India. She holds an MFA degree in animation and digital arts from NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia and a bachelor's degree in literature from Stella Maris College. She has illustrated several picture books for independent publishers, including I Am Brown and Today I Am. View titles by Sandhya Prabhat
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Educator Guide for The Spice Box

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Photos

additional book photo
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About

A CALIBA GOLDEN POPPY AWARD FINALIST • A father and son share family stories through a spice box, handed down from generation to generation, in this tender picturebook.

Rishi's grandma arrives from India today, and he longs to cook curry alongside his Dad using the delicious flavors from his family's spice box. But this spice box is more than just fragrant spices in shades of gold and ruby. This spice box holds memories that are passed down from one generation to the next, as each found their place in this wide world. When Rishi drops the box that holds the family's heart and history, he draws courage and meaning from their treasured past to set things right.

Awards

  • WINNER | 2025
    South Asia Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Texas 2x2 Reading List
  • SHORTLIST | 2025
    One Book, One San Diego
  • SELECTION | 2024
    APALA Best of the Best Booklist Selection

Praise

"A warm tale of family bursting with color and love." —Kirkus Reviews

Author

Meera Sriram grew up in India and moved to the U.S. at the turn of the millennium. She is the author of several picture books, including A Garden in My Hands and The Spice Box. Her books have been selected Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), and Bank Street College, and have received starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She’s a two-time recipient of the South Asia Book Award. An electrical engineer in her past life, she now enjoys writing for children and advocating for early and multicultural literacy. Meera loves yoga and chai, and lives with her husband and two children in Berkeley, California. View titles by Meera Sriram
Sandhya Prabhat is an independent animator and illustrator based in the Bay Area, California, who hails from Chennai, India. She holds an MFA degree in animation and digital arts from NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia and a bachelor's degree in literature from Stella Maris College. She has illustrated several picture books for independent publishers, including I Am Brown and Today I Am. View titles by Sandhya Prabhat

Rights

Available for sale exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Albania
•     Algeria
•     Andorra
•     Angola
•     Anguilla
•     Antarctica
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Australia
•     Austria
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahamas
•     Bahrain
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belarus
•     Belgium
•     Belize
•     Benin
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Botswana
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Bulgaria
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cameroon
•     Canada
•     Cape Verde
•     Cayman Islands
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Croatia
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Cyprus
•     Czech Republic
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Denmark
•     Djibouti
•     Dominica
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Estonia
•     Ethiopia
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Faroe Islands
•     Fiji
•     Finland
•     France
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Gambia
•     Georgia
•     Germany
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Greece
•     Greenland
•     Grenada
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guam
•     Guatemala
•     Guernsey
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Guyana
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     India
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Israel
•     Italy
•     Ivory Coast
•     Jamaica
•     Japan
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Latvia
•     Lebanon
•     Lesotho
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Malta
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mauritius
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     Moldavia
•     Monaco
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Montserrat
•     Morocco
•     Mozambique
•     Myanmar
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Caledonia
•     New Zealand
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Nigeria
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     North Mariana
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Pakistan
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Philippines
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Puerto Rico
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Romania
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     Saint Martin
•     Samoa,American
•     San Marino
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Sint Maarten
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     Spain
•     Sri Lanka
•     St Barthelemy
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Sudan
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Swaziland
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Tanzania
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA
•     Uganda
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     United Kingdom
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vanuatu
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Western Samoa
•     Yemen
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe

Guides

Educator Guide for The Spice Box

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)