Dear Reader,

Bread Days is a personal story. My dad was an avid baker. What began as a
hobby soon became his weekly ritual. He named his sourdough starter Paolo
and cared for him like a best friend. Bread Day was a full experience for our
family — from watching the dough rise and the sweet smell filling the kitchen,
to sitting together and enjoying the fresh, warm bread. Every loaf had its own
character, and I felt his love in each slice.

Three years after my dad passed away, I began writing Bread Days and decided
to keep the ritual alive. I baked with his tools, wrote in his old bread journal,
and cared for my own sourdough starter Paoliño — Little Paolo. A starter can
be stubborn. You mix, you wait. You keep something alive with caring gestures.
Bread-making became a mirror of grief for me: the unpredictable rise and fall,
and the slow, steady work of carrying on.

The story follows Nara, who discovers that life goes on after a loss, even when
you don’t want it. As she returns to Bread Days and her starter, she learns that
love endures in memory, that rituals hold us steady, and that starting anew
takes quiet courage. Papa’s passing in the story may feel sudden. For me, loss
arrived without a warning, and I wanted to stay true to my experience.

I hope this book invites you to think of your own bread days. The cherished
rituals you tend with love, and the joy that comes when something you’ve
cared for finally bubbles.

Warmly,

Available September 30!

Bread Days

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In this moving yet hopeful picture book for readers ages 4-8, a young girl rediscovers her passion for baking bread as she once did with her papa—and finds joy again in sharing it with her loved ones.

Nara loves nothing more than her bread days with Papa. Together, they mix, fold, and score dough, and eagerly watch as it rises to a delicious loaf in the oven. But one day, Papa is no longer there, and Nara’s bread days are suddenly empty. Instead, she’s left with feelings and memories that sadden and confuse her. But when Nara starts to take care of the sourdough starter she and Papa once made, she finds solace in bread days again—and, together with Mama, is able to keep a family tradition alive in memory of past loved ones.

From the author of The Most Perfect Persimmon, this picture book is a touching story of parent-child connection and the love language of food, as well as a comforting read for anyone who has experienced loss.