Cora the Carrot and the Map of Many Lands

Cora the Carrot bursts out of the soil every morning certain she’s about to find something amazing. Today, her root hits something crinkly: a very old map, and right in the middle of it, a drawing of a carrot. A bright purple carrot.When the map begins to glow gold, Rootwise Rowan, the Great Garden’s wise Old Root, taps his staff and opens a shimmering time tunnel. Together they travel to ancient Persia, where carrots grew purple and yellow and not one was orange; ride with a camel caravan along the Silk Road; wander a grey medieval market; and kneel beside a Dutch farmer in the 1600s, choosing the brightest orange root, generation by generation. Cora suddenly realises she has been taking her own colour completely for granted.Cora the Carrot and the Map of Many Lands is a real-history picture book wrapped in gentle magic - Book 1 of The Root Kingdom, a universe of fruit and vegetable characters whose stories are rooted in true food history. It’s a story about curiosity, belonging and discovering that your own story is far bigger than you thought.Along the way, young readers learn where carrots really come from, why they changed colour and how far they travelled to reach a British garden - with a fold-out journey map and fact page at the back for the questions that follow.Perfect for:- Bedtime reading and classroom read-alouds- Curious children aged 5-8 who always ask 'where does this come from?'- Families who want real history that feels like an adventure- Anyone who has ever wondered why carrots are orangeEvery map has a story. Let’s find out!#GrowCurious