**Freeman Book Awards - Honorable Mention - Children's and Young Adult's Literature on East and Southeast Asia

"As a food scientist, she sought to reduce the Philippines' dependence on imported food, pioneering new ways to use local products. And that was before she became a war hero." —New York Times

This delightful children's book follows the life of Maria Orosa—a pioneering woman scientist who studied food science in the United States then returned to a war-torn Philippines and created super-nutritious foods to help her nation in a time of crisis.

A champion of native products from her homeland, Orosa is celebrated for her daring war exploits as well as her scientific inventions. Today she is honored and remembered for:

Sneaking food into World War II internment camps concealed in hollow tubes of bamboo
Working as an undercover agent in the underground forces fighting the Japanese occupation
Developing new ways to preserve seasonal products in a time of grave food shortages, including making vinegar from pineapples, flour from cassava and ketchup from bananas— all now staples on Filipino tables
Transforming vitamin-rich rice bran, previously a waste product, into tasty disease-preventing desserts
Organizing rural-improvement clubs, inventing the palayok or clay oven and developing delicious recipes for coconuts, soybeans and a range of native plants, vegetables and herbs


This book celebrates the life and achievements of a daring daughter of the Philippines, war heroine, culinary scientist and bold freedom fighter who helped to feed the nation!

Illustrated by: Mark Salvatus