Dele and Aminata's Jollof War

A neighborhood cooking competition sparks a battle for the tastiest jollof rice

Jollof rice is a signature dish in many countries in West Africa. Each country has its own regional variation of the recipe, and each believes their version is better!

Dele's favourite dish is his mum's Nigerian-style jollof rice. It's also the most popular dish at their neighborhood potluck. But this month, a new girl and her family have moved from Senegal into Dele's building, and they bring a different kind of jollof rice to the potluck. Unsurprisingly, Dele and Aminata each insist that their own mother's dish is best.

This competitive spirit grows even stronger when both families cook their jollof rice recipes for a local competition. Dele and Aminata attempt to out-do one another, and both dishes are ruined in the process. But the cooking disaster helps Dele and Aminata realize that there may be yet another way to make jollof rice ...

Warm, immersive illustrations bring this story of pride, jealousy, and cultural heritage to life.

BRI MARIE MCNISH is a self-taught illustrator and storyteller based in Providence, Rhode Island. At a young age, she was instilled with a love of fairy tales and fables, and now she aims to create art that features inclusive characters and cozy settings she wishes she saw in the media that she loved as a child. When not illustrating, she has a deep love for black tea, romantic comedies, and especially her loud lasagna-loving cat, Garfield.

YEWANDE DANIEL-AYOADE is a Nigerian-Canadian author of stories that celebrate West African history and culture. Her book The Little Regent won the 2024 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book award and was a finalist for the Forest of Reading Blue Spruce award. Yewande lives in Calgary, Alberta.