Hachette India

New

Bookworms & Jellybellies

Ranjini Rao and Ruchira Ramanujam

Eat your way through Pooh Bear's adventures one Honey-crunch Snack Bite at a time, nibble on delicious Scoop 'n' Drop Currant Scones while discovering lost treasures and secret passages with the Famous Five, or suck on Tangy Tamarind Pops as you run through the by-lanes of Malgudi with Swami and friends.

If you love to read and eat, Bookworms & Jellybellies is just the book for you. It is a joyride through some of the best-loved children's books, with over 50 inspired recipes that can be easily whipped up in your own kitchen. It is packed with quirky introductions, simple recipe instructions, fun trivia and black-and-white photographs.

In this fresh, imaginative take on books and cooks, Ranjini Rao and Ruchira Ramanujam, authors of Around the World with the Tadka Girls, give you recipes with their own dash of drama, adventure and plot twists – just like the books that inspire them.

Ranjini Rao and Ruchira Ramanujam

Ranjini Rao and Ruchira Ramanujam are two best friends, whose brainchild, Tadka Pasta, isn't just a food blog they started in 2011, when in the US. It is a repertoire of stories and recipes from their own kitchens – where they learnt to rise above burnt breads and picky-eating phases of their girls – and from the tastes and traditions they've picked up during their travels. With two books published in quick succession: Mango Masala – 60 Indian Recipes from Your Local Supermarket and Around the World with the Tadka Girls, they began to see food literature in a new light.

Upon returning to India a few years ago, they took their love for food, books and children forward through many avenues, right from conducting workshops for children in schools and summer camps – with a focus on the nutritional and cultural aspects of food – to designing healthy and fun recipes for children's menus for clients. They won the FICCI FLO Bangalore Women of the Year Award in 2016, for their work in the local food and culture scene.

They live in Bengaluru, where they often discuss plots and plans over endless cups of filter coffee. They love chillies, chocolate and everything in between, and can twist themselves up into pretzels for a plate of good food.