Tag Archives: holiday

Mar11

Nadia and Nadir Eid Surprise by Marzieh A. Ali illustrated by Lala Stellune

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Nadia and Nadir Eid Surprise by Marzieh A. Ali illustrated by Lala Stellune

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This is another holiday book in the Nadia and Nadir series for early readers, this one focusing on Eid al Fitr, but also celebrating Muslim American athletes Ibtijaj Muhammad and Muhammad Ali, sadqa, and the love of grandparents.  The 32 page book with four chapters shows Desi American siblings enjoying both their Pakistani and American cultures while consistently embodying their Islamic faith.  They pray salat, wear hijab, discuss sadqa, and say Salam and Eid Mubarak.  I am not sure why they pray Eid prayers at home, and not in a community congregation, no it is not a Covid set book, they then go to the mall, but the pride in their faith, culture, and family is enjoyable.  Early readers will enjoy the colorful pages, large illustrations, and relatable story situations.

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The book starts with the siblings hearing laughing downstairs, then seeing suitcases, and being surprised by their Nani and Nana coming from Pakistan to surprise them on Eid.  The family eats paratha and chai together before praying and making duas.

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After presents are passed out, the kids receive eidee and are off to the mall to pick out a toy.  Nadia sees an Ibtihaj doll, and Nadir points out that she is wearing a hijab just like his sister.  Nadia recognizes her and shares some facts since she has read her books.  Nadir wonders if Ibtihaj knows it is Eid and the family reassures him that Muslims everywhere in the world are celebrating.

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When it is Nadir’s turn to choose what to buy, he picks some boxing equipment with marketing images by Muhammad Ali.  Nana fills him in on the activism and accomplishments of Ali and how impressive his fearlessness really was.  When the change is given after paying, the kids and their grandparents discuss sadqa, charity, and this gives Nadia an idea.

The book concludes with a glossary of new words and information about the illustrator and author.  You can purchase your copy at all major retails such as here at Amazon, or you can support small business owners like Crescent Moon store and purchase your here.

Apr30

Mr. Men Little Miss Happy Eid by Roger Hargreaves

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Mr. Men Little Miss Happy Eid by Roger Hargreaves

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The nostalgic cast has reassembled recently, and now have an Eid title available.  Whether you grew up with Mr. Men and Little Miss or have never heard of them before, this book covers the basics of an Eid day celebration with (familiar) characters such as: Mr Greedy, Mr Bump, Miss Splendid, Mr Funny, Little Miss Scatterbrain and more.  The characters’ friend Aleena is fasting for Ramadan, the colorful crew help her to plan, and finally they all join in for the celebration.  The 32 pages are silly and random at best, but with a little discussion to help bridge the British to American English (if needed) ages three and up will enjoy the funny characters, seeing Aleena in hijab, and relating to the activities mentioned.  I love that generosity and forgiveness are included in the messaging, but was really irritated that a musical band is how they celebrate Eid night, and that Eid is compared to Christmas with gift giving.  The book is not written by a Muslim, so perhaps I should be forgiving about the Christian holiday comparison, but why write a book about Muslim joy, if you won’t let the Islamic holiday be enough on its own?  Thank you to Shifa @Muslimmommyblog for gifting me this after making fun of me for being old!

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Mr Greedy’s friend Aleena is fasting, and Mr Greedy breaks his fast nearly every hour so he is helping her.  Little Miss Inventor is out with her telescope and sees the moon, it is time for Eid.

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The days before Eid had been spent cleaning and decorating with the help of Mr Rush and Mr Bump.  They weren’t very helpful.

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Ramadan is also a time of generosity.  The football club receives donation, but what will they do with Mr Silly’s grandfather clock donation.

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Aleena puts mehndi on and is smart enough to not let Little Miss Naughty help, Little Miss Scatterbrain was not so wise.

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They all get dressed up, they give each other gifts, and share a meal. They then all settle arguments and forgive each other.

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Finally, they head to an Eid fair in town and eat treats while they watch a music show.  The book concludes with some factual information about Ramadan, Eid, and Zakat.

Title is available on Amazon.

Mar3

Wake Up! It’s the Ramadan Drummer by Mariam Hakim and Dalia Awad

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Wake Up! It’s the Ramadan Drummer by Mariam Hakim and Dalia Awad

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The beautiful shimmering cover of this new Ramadan book drew me in from the first few pages with the emotional impact of the father in the story losing his job.  Unfortunately the fun illustrations and overall story are not quite enough to make the book an enjoyable read over multiple readings.  By the time you read the book a second time, the missing punctuation, the assumptions and continuity holes, make the book unravel.  It has merit and highlights, I just really hope that an editor is brought in before a second printing takes place to clean up the sentences, patch the holes, and polish it to make it shine.  It has so much potential, but it is disappointing especially if you have been waiting, perhaps a bit impatiently, to share this with children to get them excited for Ramadan.  Even more so if you had hopes of reading it again and again throughout the month.

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The book summarizes Ramadan on the first page, presumably making the ideal reader a Muslim already familiar with Ramadan significance, and then jumps into revealing that the Baba has lost his job.  The optimistic mama isn’t deterred and sends the Baba and kids to the store so she can cook up something special.

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While at the store an elderly woman greets the kids and their father as, “Abu Tabla.” The son dismisses it until later that night when Baba has gone to the mosque and Mama surprises Adam and Anisa with the story of their Baba’s baba walking the streets before dawn to wake people up for suhoor.  She even digs out an old photograph, and with that, Adam is determined to get his father to revive the tradition.

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I love that Adam and his Baba work together to figure out lyrics and a beat.  I also like that it isn’t an instant success, but rather takes some grit, determination, and perseverance.  I also like that the whole family and eventually neighborhood come together, and that men and women go to the masjid for fajr.

There are some concerns I have though as well.  There are a lot of missing commas, the text uses mosque instead of masjid which reads inauthentic, and the whole old lady character, Hannah, is all sorts of underdeveloped.  She has to introduce herself, yet she knows where Abu Tabla lives, a drum magically appears in her hands, and her prodding is based on the premise that she knows what is going on inside people’s homes, what they are thinking, and what their intentions are.  I get that it is a kid’s story, but by the second or third reading it is hard to unsee how erroneous the logic is.  Especially when fasting like so many acts in Islam, are between a person and Allah swt, not for everyone else to judge.

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Presumably the story takes place in an Islamic majority setting and the neighbors are all Muslim, which offers a great discussion starter for readers in non Muslim majority places to find ways to maybe share Ramadan or to imagine living where everyone is fasting.

I feel like the last few pages about the drummer going viral is unnecessary, and the story could have, and probably should have, ended with the family and parade entering the masjid.  I particularly found it odd that a line reads, “News of the Ramadan drummer tradition starting up again reached as far as Pakistan, Egypt, Somalia, Turkey and even Indonesia,” why is Indonesia called out like that? Seems off putting somehow, not inclusive. The book concludes by circling back to the Baba getting paid to wake people up and finding jobs through the people also coming to fajr, which seems a bit raw for a children’s book.  A simpler, “even though Baba found another job, being the drummer was still the one he loved most,” would have tied everything up a little better for the demographic.  I’m hoping to include this story during one of my weekly Ramadan story times in my local community, and will probably skip the last few pages and just read the hadith at the end about waking up for suhoor.

Mar2

My First Book About Ramadan: Teachings for Toddlers and Young Children by Sara Khan illustrated by Ali Lodge

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My First Book About Ramadan: Teachings for Toddlers and Young Children by Sara Khan illustrated by Ali Lodge

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Once again, Sara Khan pushes the standard of what can be conveyed and presented in a toddler board book.  This book on Ramadan not only introduces concepts of the blessed month to our littles Muslims, but also provides details that will allow the book to stay relevant even as a child grows.  The soft, yet colorful pages allow the book to be engaging and attention holding for ages 2 and up, and provides a great way to get young children looking forward to Ramadan, as well as be read repeatedly during the month.  The 26 thick pages have a facts and questions about Ramadan at the end which make the book shareable with non Muslims and the many shapes, colors, cultures, and ages that make up our Muslim communities fill the pages that radiate with joy and love.

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The book starts out expressing the excitement of Ramadan, the new moon, and the anticipation.  It then talks about how Allah swt wants us to fast from dawn until sunset.  It mentions the five pillars, and fasting in Ramadan being one of them, and what it means to fast.

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It focuses on doing good deeds to make Allah swt happy.  It also dedicates a two page spread to showing who doesn’t have to fast, which answers that inevitably next question that people ask.  The book then says that even if you aren’t fasting, there are still blessings everyone enjoys in the month and spends a few pages detailing those activities and acts of worship.

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It mentions that Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an and that Laylat al-Qadr is the night of power, but doesn’t give much detail about either. Eid is celebrated at the end and a dua is made referencing a hadith in Bukhari about entering through the gate of Ar-Rayyan.

I love that the book’s tone is that this is what Allah swt wants us to do, and this is what makes Him happy.  Even with numerous Ramadan books out there, this one still manages to find a way to be unique, and truly the entire series is enjoyable and beneficial, alhumdulillah.

 

Nov5

Seven is Special! By Shagufta Malik

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Seven is Special! By Shagufta Malik

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I’ve seen this book on and off over the years, but it wasn’t until I saw @muslimkidsbooknook’s post about it, did it register that it is a chapter book, with a plot and story.  I thought it was a journal for seven year olds with prompts perhaps.  Needless to say I judged a book by its cover and hope at some point the author will consider changing the title, redesigning the cover, and tightening up the story, because there is a lot to enjoy in this book, but to get to it, you have to get it in your hands, and open the cover.  The doodles, the author’s voice, and the playful font over 128 pages will appeal to elementary aged girls, but boys will find plenty to relate to as well if you can convince them to give it a try.

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SYNOPSIS:

Seven-year-old Maryam has started taking her salat more seriously, and finally the family, her parents and her, are going on a REAL holiday.  They are going for Umrah.  Maryam is so excited, but then the trip gets canceled and her mom is sick, and Maryam is tired of always feeling different than her classmates.  Will everything work out? Will prayers and duas be answered? Will eight be great?

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WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that the book stays on a seven/eight year old level, but I do question how much stress is on how sick the pregnant mom is, and how kids will understand that.  I was sick, very sick, with all my pregnancies, and my older children saw me and it still affects them, in sometimes surprising ways.  My oldest daughter says she is never having kids.  Granted she is 14, but I would worry that reading a children’s book that mirrors something that was pretty traumatic for her to see will cement her impression about childbearing.  Obviously, I could be the exception, and perhaps like many literary mirrors it would make her relate more to the story.  I know she is above the target audience, but the illness of the mom is a large part of the book, and it is very detailed and specific.  I think if you are a young child reading it, you might ask your mom if that was her experience, and it could be a lovely conversation about heaven being at your mother’s feet, and the tests and blessings of it all, but the book really doubles down on some of the details of the throwing up and vomiting, and I wish her being sick could be shown in more situational ways.  Maybe she tried to do an activity with her daughter, but couldn’t, or she had to ask another mom to help with something she normally did at Maryam’s school, etc..  There are such wonderful tangible little nuggets in the book about salat at the park, and kids duas, and making wudu in public, that I think a little reframing of the illness and symptoms is definitely in the author’s skill set.

I love the unapologetic voice of being Muslim and some of the insecurities that Maryam faces and grows from.  Kids will enjoy seeing their concerns articulated, and inshaAllah benefit from her perspective as they make decisions about their own identity and attitude.  I know some families make a big deal about starting salat at seven, but when the book starts she has been seven for a while, so I’m not entirely sure why that was the focus of the book’s title.  Additionally, the pink cover really screams that it is a girl book, and I think boys will be nervous to be reading a “girl book,” that really isn’t gender specific in the storyline.  Yes, there are all sorts of stereotypes in that assessment, but I think you all get what I’m saying.

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FLAGS:

Illness, a bit of a temper bubbling over, stress.

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TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I think young readers that are handed the book and start it, will finish reading it.  It is a super quick read, and with the drawings and conversational language, they will enjoy the pages as they fly by.  It is an elementary read, and anyone older will probably see the foreshadowing that the mom is expecting, while the second and third grade readers, will probably be genuinely surprised.

Jun28

A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night by Allison Ofanansky illustrated by Rotem Teplow

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A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night by Allison Ofanansky illustrated by Rotem Teplow

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A story about the Morrocan Jewish holiday, Mimouna, that marks the end of Passover introduces readers to a small but growing Jewish celebration from Northern Africa.  Stemming from the historical fact of Jews often borrowing flour from their Muslim neighbors to make the traditional Maufletot, thin pancakes, after a week of not eating flour.  The story focuses on a Jewish girl and a Muslim girl meeting each other, celebrating with each other, and finding similarities between Ramadan and Mimouna.  Over 36 pages, kindergarten to second grade readers will get an introduction to two different faith holidays and see that friendship and kindness are possible everywhere.

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It is the last day of Passover in Fes and Miriam is tired of eating quickly baked unleavened matzah crackers, she is ready for the sweet dough pancakes of Mimouna, and she is willing to help her mom make them.  But before Passover, all flour was removed from the home, and she asks her mother where they can get flour tonight before the  party.

Mom and Miriam begin to walk.  They leave the part of town that Miriam is familiar with and Miriam sees a building with a dome and minarets.  “What is that?” she asks.  Her mother replies, “It is a mosque, where our Muslim neighbors pray.”

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They then enter a courtyard where a woman and her daughter about the same age as Miriam appear and invite them in for tea.  The two women say salaam and kiss each other’s cheeks.  Miriam’s mom gives the other lady a jar of fig jam and invites her and her family to come to the house to celebrate Mimouna with them. When the women are done drinking tea, Jasmine is asked to go to the store room for two bags of flour and Miriam is sent to help.  Jasmine is told one bag is for them, and one is for their guests.  The two shy girls go get the flour, and when Miriam trips, Jasmine catches the bag just in time.

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On the way home, Miriam has so many questions about the lady and how her mother knows her and how come they don’t have a jasmine vine. But, when they get home there is a lot of work to be done before the guests start to arrive.

By the time Jasmine and her parents come the house is full and music is being played and songs are being song.  The first plate of maufletot goes to Miriam’s grandfather, and when she trips and they go flying it is Jasmine who catches them.  The girls giggle and Miriam teaches Jasmine to play the song, “Alalla Mimouna” on her tambourine.

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The party moves from house to house and at one home green wheat is dipped in milk and sprinkled over everyone’s head as a blessing for the upcoming year.  By the time the girls get back home they are tired, and as they share one last pancake, Jasmine tells Miriam about the nightly feasts of Ramadan after a day of fasting.  She invites Miriam to join them, and Mariam is excited, but Mariam’s mom explains that they are moving to Jerusalem.

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The following year on Mimouna Night, Mariam heads to the store to buy flour, but thinks of her friend Jasmine back in Morocco as she smells the jasmine growing in her home, and wonders if her friend is also thinking about her.

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The author is an Amerian Israeli, and I was nervous that there would be political overtones, but she deliberately wanted to avoid that and focus instead on presenting this little known Jewish holiday in an interfaith manner.  There is an info section at the end of the book explaining Mimouna and a recipe for moufletot.  In author interviews you can read more about how the story came to be, and what her hopes were in telling it: https://jewishbooksforkids.com/2021/03/14/interview-with-allison-ofanansky-author-of-a-sweet-meeting-on-mimouna-night/

Aug10

The Most Pleasant Festival of Sacrifice: Little Barul’s Eid Celebration by Munise Ulker Illustrated by Beyza Soylu

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The Most Pleasant Festival of Sacrifice: Little Barul’s Eid Celebration by Munise Ulker Illustrated by Beyza Soylu

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This book is beautiful, it feels great in your hands, the raised glitter embellishments in the illustrations, the price point, everything except the text.  The gist of the story is even fine, the execution is just off.  It reads very much like it has been translated from another language in to English, and yes my privilege might be showing, but the phrasing, the passive voice, the orphanage, all make the book with its massive text passages hard to convince kids younger than 7 to sit through.

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The story starts off with parents and two kids , Murad and Batul, driving to a friend’s house for dinner, commenting on the Christmas decorations that they see.  The parents ask what the kids know about Eid al-Adha that is coming up and the kids remember how much fun they had in Turkey.  Except it is really awkward to get this bit of information out.  They discuss Eid last year, and then remind each other that they were in Turkey, and how it was much more fun.  Noting that international travel is expensive and they won’t be able to go again, the Mom over dinner discusses how they can make Eid fun for the kids with her friend.

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It is decided that the Muslim and non Muslims will celebrate together and include a local orphanage.  “Each Muslim family would be responsible for buying new clothes for two children from the orphanage, and they would take their own children along to do the shopping.” This would teach the kids to thank Allah and learn about community and sharing.  A great lesson overall, again just a concept presented in a really wordy, round about, awkwardly forced manner.

The Mom contacts the library and gets permission to decorate an information table, the kids make Eid cards for their grandfather in Turkey, at Sunday school they make gifts for friends.  They learn about Zakat and sacrificing an animal like Allah commanded Abraham to do, they even send cards to their neighbors.  Oddly though remarking how fun it is to get candy outside of Halloween.  After the first two pages explaining Christmas and telling that Muslims don’t celebrate it, I found it odd that they would, 15 pages later, be referencing Halloween. 

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Some of the sentences also don’t made sense.  About half way through I didn’t understand what the author meant by the boys “celebrating each other’s Eid” after they put their new clothes on and went to Eid prayer.

Once at the party, they give specific details of how much they charged everyone, yet no details about the food they all brought.  The kids enjoy a pinata and everyone including the orphans get Eid gifts.  Despite everyone’s fun the party has to end, and the orphans return to the orphanage and Murad and Batul declare they “will always remember this Eid.”

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The illustrations are great, it is really yet another example of a book just needing a good editor.  From the very beginning, even the title isn’t really right, the book isn’t even mainly about Batul, to the random details shared, the book is just too long and too unpolished.  It is really unfortunate, because it has so much going for it on its 32 pages.  The main points however, I feel are lost about Eid and the reason it is so dear to Muslims everywhere.