Surprises in Mili's Suitcase: How Diabetes Was Cured with Food

Growing up in Hawaii, eleven-year old Hana knows sharing food is about sharing gifts of love and aloha, but she doesn't know food can also be a gift of health. When she is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Hana's mother promises to help Hana learn to live with it-that is, until Mom's sister Auntie Mili comes to visit with a suitcase full of surprises that hold the key to Hana's disease. Armed with new knowledge that diabetes can be cured with a diet rich in plants, Mili, Hana, and her mother embark on a Great Food Adventure in which they discover the fun of learning about, growing, preparing, and eating new fruits and vegetables. The colorful foods are nutritious, taste delicious, and quickly restore Hana's health. The story conveys traditional values of honoring our bodies, caring for the land, and growing food in a sustainable way. Colorfully illustrated on every page (two of which are recipes). Includes Glossary, Lessons from Mili, and For Parents and Teachers. For all ages. Katherine Orr is the author/illustrator of twenty books for children and adults. She is also a marine biologist and an enthusiastic consumer of plant-based whole foods. Antonia Demas has a PhD from Cornell University in education, nutrition, and anthropology. She is the founder of Food Studies Institute, a nonprofit organization devoted to educating children and adults in food literacy.