V. Malar: Greatest Host of All Time

Malar and her family live in the town of Pori in India, and have a farm. The holiday of Pongal is approaching, and Malar is excited that her aunt and uncle, as well as her cousins, will be visiting from Seattle for the occasion. She's worried about how well she will get along with her cousins, but wants to be the best host to them. Her fears are well founded; Priya is a bit snotty, and complains about how small everything is. Kamal, who is younger than the girls, is fully of energy. The two would rather nap and play video games than go around the farm. They also are rather inflexible; Priya insists on calling the traditional dye used to create designs on the hands as "henna" even though Malar tells her that it is called "maruthaani". Still, Malar tries very hard to make her cousins happy and to help her mother and father prepare for the celebration. On the first day of Pongal, Bhogi, the family puts away all of the old, broken things and dances around the fire. Priya and Kamal aren't too interested in making patties out of dung, and Priya ends up spilling the dung water all over herself. On the second day, Thai Pongal, Malar is excited to get a new dress, and to draw a kolam outside the house. When Kamal messes it up, it's hard to forgive him. The third day is Maattu Pongal, and the cattle are honored, so the children help wash them and paint designs on them. By the time the final festival approaches, Malar has a new understanding of how her cousins might be missing home, and may have been tired from the flight, and misses them when they are gone. The book includes a helpful glossary of Tamil words as well as an author's note about the holiday.