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Puffin signs 'joyful' picture book from Selina Brown and Maxwell A Oginni
Puffin has signed My Rice Is Best, a "joyful, funny and accomplished" picture book from Selina Brown, founder of the Black British Book Festival, and illustrated by Maxwell A Oginni.
Publisher Andrea MacDonald acquired world rights in a two-book deal at auction from Jodie Hodges at United Agents. World rights to the illustrations were also acquired from Hodges. Publishing on 8th May 2025, My Rice Is Best will be edited by Annie Gnoan and designed by Deborah Vickers.
The "laugh-out-loud" picture book follows Shane, who "is convinced that nothing beats a big, delicious bowl of rice and peas – it’s the best rice in the world! But when he brings his favourite meal to school, he discovers that his friend Yinka is just as passionate about her jollof rice. What follows is a hilarious and heartfelt showdown to settle the age-old question: which rice reigns supreme?"
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My Rice Is Best "offers an entertaining way-in to help children embrace new cuisines and celebrate cultural identity and diversity". Brown commented: "This book is incredibly close to my heart as it draws on my Jamaican heritage and my love for delicious rice and peas. It’s a joyful, fun-filled story that celebrates not only the flavours of my childhood but also the beauty of cultural diversity."
Oginni said: "It’s a a story I’ve lived as a child growing up in a Nigerian household where rice was an absolute staple. Rice is almost like the ultimate superpower in that from culture to culture, out of most other foods, it can adapt, ‘shape-shift’ and be blended into a variety of other amazing meals, yet still simply be… ‘rice’."
MacDonald added: "What Selina has achieved since she founded the Black British Book Festival is incredible. She is such an amazing force for the industry – as an advocate, a champion, and also now as a creator too. We are so delighted to be showcasing her talents as a storyteller with this brilliant feel-good adventure."
