A joyous celebration of Jamaican food — and of Christmas — set to the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, a debut picture book by acclaimed author Zalika Reid-Benta.On the third day of Christmas, mi granny gave to me three beef patties, two sorrel drinks and some saltfish with some ackee. And then coco breads and Champagne colas. Plaintains and black cakes and breadfruits and yams — and don't forget the rice and peas!
This playful twist on the classic Christmas song builds a delicious festive feast, Jamaican style. As Granny bakes and roasts and fries, her family prepares for the season, shopping and decorating and "helping" in the kitchen, hungrily watching the dishes come together.
A joyful seasonal celebration of family and food.
Includes recipes for ackee and saltfish.
On sale: October 6, 2026
Age: 3-7 years
Grade: Preschool - 2
Page count: 32 Pages
ISBN: 9781774885345
ZALIKA REID-BENTA is a Canadian writer. Her debut novel
River Mumma was shortlisted for the 2024 Trillium Book Award and her debut story collection
Frying Plantain won the 2020 Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the 2020 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction. Her second novel
The Seacliff Hotel will be published in Spring 2027. Her next picture book
Esme’s Happy Place will be published in Summer 2027.
MARIYAH RAHMAN is a children's book illustrator and background painter, born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. She has a BFA in illustration from ArtCenter College of Design, specializing in entertainment arts. Clients include Titmouse Animation, Nix Hydra, Heinemann Publishing and Simon & Schuster. Her inspirations include literature, fantasy, and folklore, and she spends most of her free time reading, baking, and rolling around with her cats and dogs. Mariyah's debut picture book,
Plátanos Are Love, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2023.
"A Jamaican family celebrates Christmas with flavorful fun in this adaptation of a beloved Yuletide song. . . . A loving ode to cultural traditions, family, holidays, and food that hits the spot."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Reid-Benta and Rahman’s mouthwatering rendition of a Christmas standard works Jamaican culinary traditions into the tune. . . . Readers will find this festive, appetite-whetting fare."
—Publishers Weekly
"The narrative follows the melody of the popular — and long — holiday tune, and anyone who ever had Jamaican cuisine will find themselves hungry by the time they get to the end of the book. The illustrations depict the narrator and her family, who are Black and Jamaican, as they prepare both the Christmas decorations and the food. . . . A lovely ode to the traditions and cuisines of Jamaica. A festive story that’ll leave readers jolly, singing and hungry."
—School Library Journal
