Patty Dreams
Written by Nadia L. Hohn
Illustrated by Sahle Robinson
Published by Owlkids Books
Interviews (Videos)
ACTIVITIES
Discussion Questions & Version that can be edited
Matching Activity & Answer Key
Ingredients Activity & Answer Key
Design your Business Sign Activity
Colouring Sheets – Classroom, Cooking, Kitchen
Trivia Slides – Cover, Fact 1, Fact 2, Fact 3, Fact 4, Fact 5, Fact 6
BOOK SYNOPSIS
At his home in Jamaica, August wakes up every morning to the delicious smell of patties. His parents’ patty stand used to be popular, but Jamaica is changing. August’s friends are leaving, and the patties aren’t selling like they used to. Soon, it’s his family’s turn to say goodbye. Off they fly to cold, snowy Toronto, where August’s father takes a job at a cookie factory and comes home too tired to make his beloved patties.
One night, after everyone is asleep, August tiptoes into the kitchen and tries to recreate his Daddy’s recipe. His attempt inspires his father, and for the first time since they left Jamaica, August wakes up to the smell of fresh patties. Daddy’s patties take off, and soon August’s parents decide to open a new patty stand with a new name—“Patty Dreams”.
Acclaimed author Nadia L. Hohn’s rhythmic writing pays homage to a quintessential Jamaican delicacy and explores the experiences of immigrants, as well as the traditions that connect us. Vibrantly illustrated and rich in sensory details, this picture book is a warm, comforting reminder of the meaning of home.
NADIA L. HOHN
Toronto-born of Jamaican parents, Nadia L. Hohn is an award-winning author, educator, and “artivist” who advocates for diversity in children’s literature. Nadia L. Hohn is the author of Malaika’s Costume (2016) which was the 2021 TD Grade One Book Giveaway, a program which distributes over 550, 000 copies to Canadian first graders. Her other books in the series are Malaika’s Winter Carnival (2017), Blue Spruce Award-nominated Malaika’s Surprise (2021), and Malaika, Carnival Queen (2023), published by Groundwood Books. Nadia has also written Getting Us to Grandma’s (Groundwood Books, Oct. 2024), Patty Dreams (Owlkids, Jan. 2025), Harriet Tubman Freedom Fighter (Harper Collins, 2018), Music (Grade 5) and Media (Grade 6) in the Sankofa Black Heritage Collection series (Rubicon Publishing Inc, 2015), and A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice (Owlkids Books, 2019). Nadia is the editor and contributor of The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes) (Orca). She continues to write plays and songs, as well as picture books and novels for young people. Her writing has been featured in anthologies and publications, like Psychology Today, Quill & Quire, Owl, Chickadee, Book News, ByBlacks, ArcPoetry, and Write. Nadia is a playwright who has staged shorter plays in elementary and high schools. In 2025, her debut play Wheel & Turn debuted at the Windsor Fringe Festival in which she also co-directed, produced, and acted.
Nadia L. Hohn completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Honours Psychology (B.A. Hon.) at the University of Waterloo. She completed her Bachelor (BEd) and Master of Education in Sociology and Equity Studies in Education (MEd) degrees at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto (OISE/UT). She completed a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing at the University of Guelph. Nadia has completed courses and workshops in playwriting, screenwriting, and filmmaking at the Liason of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), Women in Film & Television (WIFT), George Brown College, and the University of Guelph.
Nadia L. Hohn has delivered hundreds of presentations at schools, libraries, book stores, and literary festivals in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Trinidad, Jamaica, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates. Nadia lives in Toronto where she teaches at an elementary school and post-secondary institutions.
Nadia peut lire, écrire et parler en français. She has intermediate levels of communication in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
She teaches elementary school and writing for children courses at post-secondary institutions in Toronto, where she lives.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Website: www.nadialhohn.com
Instagram: @nadialhohn_author
Twitter/X: @nadialhohn
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/nadia-hohn-4aa83b74
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nadialhohn
Substack: https://nadialhohn.substack.com/
Bluesky: @nadialhohn.bsky.social
Email: nadialhohn@gmail.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Title to be Announced (fall 2026)
Patty Dreams, Owlkids Books (January 7, 2025)
Getting Us to Grandma’s, Groundwood Books (October 1, 2024)
Editor and Contributor, The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes), Orca Books (Fall 2023)
Malaika, Carnival Queen, Groundwood Books (Spring 2023)
Kwanzaa section in Celebrate with me! Recipes, Crafts, and Holiday Fun from around the world Magic Cat Publishing/Abrams Kids (2022)
“Louise Go a Country” short story in 100+ Voices for Miss Lou: Poetry, Tributes, Interviews, Essays by Opal Palmer Adisa (ed.), University of West Indies Press (2022)
Malaika’s Surprise, Groundwood Books (2021)
A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice, Owlkids (2019)
Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter, Harper Kids Publishers (2018)
Malaika Winter Carnival, Groundwood Books (Fall 2017)
Malaika’s Costume, Groundwood Books (Spring 2016)
Sankofa Music (Gr. 5) and Media (Gr. 6), Sankofa Series, Rubicon Publishing Inc. (201
SAHLE ROBINSON
SAHLE ROBINSON loved drawing since he could hold a pencil. As a director, storyboard artist and character designer for television animation, he’s worked on popular productions such as How to Train Your Dragon, Barbie, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sahle and his family are from Toronto, Ontario where they provide art workshops and create uplifting murals for their community. This is Sahle’s second published picture book.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Website: www.TheRobinsonsCrew.com, www.sahlerobinson.com
Instagram: @sahlgood @the_robinsons_crew
Email: info@therobinsonscrew.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Patty Dreams (Owlkids), January 7, 2025
Water Love (Plumleaf Press), October, 2022
