As a child I had a stack of Little Golden Books, my libraries always have a good part of a shelf with Little Golden Books, my own kids have a few dozen of them, but honestly I don’t know that I love any of them, aside from the Monster at the End of the Book. They are a staple, they have spanned generations, but I always find them a bit abrupt, the text to small and dense, and the vocabulary a little too advanced. So, on the one hand I am thrilled that this timeless brand has a Ramadan title, but on the other hand, some of the food descriptions contain vocabulary a bit advanced for the recommended 2-5 year olds. If you have been reading my 2024 Ramadan and Eid reviews, you will however be glad to know that this Ramadan book, does pack a lot of information into the pages, and when it asks why do Muslims fast? It says unequivocally “because it is written in the holy book called the Qur’an.” Suhoor is said to be before the sun even rises at one point, and then dawn at another, but then, however, it kind of equates dawn and sunrise, I’ll let it pass, cause it is a little vague with the equating, after saying when we eat clearly. My only real gripe are the food tangents, detailing not to eat fried and salty foods at suhoor, to they hyper specific “creamy curries, fresh soups, and rich stews. Fragrant rice dishes paired with grilled meat or kofta” at iftar. Yeah it almost seems like the author wrote the book while fasting, with food heavily on his mind. It does mention doing extra good deeds, more prayers, and it reads as an easy non fiction book. It doesn’t try and interject the information into a fictionalized framing, it just tells about Ramadan. It would be nice though, if it was sourced, but with the reasonable price point and accurate information, makes it a solid book to add to gifts and to share.
The story is told in the first person and opens with a family searching the sky for the moon. It then says in a single paragraph on a two page spread that “during Ramadan, Muslims eat and drink only when it is dark.” It then asks why? Answering on the next spread with, “the Qur’an.” It says that it is read in many different languages, which technically isn’t wrong, but I wish it would have said that it is written in Arabic. It continues to say that “the Qur’an tells us how to be Muslim.” To care for people, to pray. to fast, but that children and those that are sick aren’t required.
It then details foods to eat and foods to avoid for suhoor before returning to the more spiritual aspects and traditions of being kind and giving charity. It explains Ramadan Mubarak and then finds its way back to foods, highlighting iftar drinks and foods.
Ramadan is a month, followed by Shawwal and then the celebration of Eid, making sure to note that on Eid we cook our favorite foods.
Overall, a lot of information clearly conveyed, with bright, fun, joyful illustrations. The final page is a gloassary of words and phrases. I purchased my copy here on Amazon.
Islamic School Librarian 