An uplifting tale about recapturing the spirit of Ramadan.
A child longs to find a friend with whom to observe Ramadan.
Zain and his family have moved, and the boy is downhearted. With no mosque nearby and no Islamic school to attend, he worries that Ramadan won’t feel the same. Zain explores his neighborhood and searches for signs of other Muslims but returns home disappointed. A few days later, he and his parents build a mosque using the empty cardboard boxes from their move. Soon neighborhood children are attracted to Zain’s creation, and he teaches them about Ramadan—fasting, showing gratitude, and giving to those in need. After Zain and his parents pray outside, much to Zain’s surprise, another Muslim boy, Ahmed, joins in! Jubilant, Zain realizes his Ramadan will be more special than ever. Ali successfully weaves a heartwarming tale of teachable moments around the traditions of Ramadan while sensitively navigating Zain’s loss of his prior community and his resilience as he forges new bonds, all with the support of his loving family. Awatiff’s vivid, jewel-toned illustrations make clear that Ramadan is a special time for Muslims. Cues in the text suggest that Zain and his family are South Asian. Zain’s new community is diverse; Ahmed is brown-skinned. Backmatter includes information on how Ramadan is observed around the world, a glossary, Zain’s Ramadan essentials, and a “Make Your Own Ramadan Treat Bags” activity, which invites readers to join in the fun.
An uplifting tale about recapturing the spirit of Ramadan. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781958372142
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Soaring Kite Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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