Meena’s Saturdays start at sunrise, sipping chai with her sisters before they launch into a morning of nonstop cleaning and grocery shopping until the first relatives arrive at noon. Meena’s job is making chai for the guests, a task she finds boring and endless. The women and girls crowd the small kitchen for an afternoon of cooking, followed by more cleaning, while the doorbell rings constantly with cousins, aunts, and uncles, all neighbors and friends. Meena’s parents were the first to move from their village in India to a new country, and they helped others who came later. All come on Saturdays to acknowledge that assistance and celebrate community. Meena and her cousins work hard, but also find time to watch Indian movies and practice their dance and fighting moves. After more effort in the kitchen making fresh chapatis, a spectacular dinner is ready to be served. Table space is limited and a protocol is followed each week: The men eat first. But Meena, who objects to gender-biased practices throughout the day and is fed up with waiting for progress, decides to make her own small step toward change when she takes the seat next to her father. Warmth, humor, and a realistic childlike perspective blend in this lively portrait of family, both chosen and blood, spending a day framed by tradition and evolving attitudes.

A slice-of-life story with a feminist message about a young Indian girl and her sisters managing a bustling house full of boisterous guests on a busy Saturday.

Saturday mornings start early for Meena. She and her sisters watch the sun rise while drinking chai before they clean the house and then head to the grocery store . . . while their brother gets to stay in bed. As the guests arrive, including Meena's favorite cousins, the women crowd into the kitchen to cook. The doorbell rings nonstop as family, neighbors, and friends fill the bustling house. Once fresh chapatis are made, dinner begins—for the men. But Meena spots an empty seat at the table and decides today is the day she makes an important change.

Meena’s Saturday by Kusum Mepani, with exuberant illustrations by Yasmeen Ismail, is the charming story of a family’s weekend ritual, a love letter to the gatherings of community and family, and an example of how changing long-standing traditions can start with you.