A cheerful and relatable tale of a young girl finding the perfect way to celebrate Ramadan.
Wanting to emulate her parents, Aliya eventually realizes that fasting is just one way to observe Ramadan.
Aliya is excited because the new moon signals the start of Ramadan. As Ammi and Abba hang decorations, Aliya enthusiastically exclaims that she wants to fast with them, but Ammi thinks she’s still too young. But a determined Aliya drifts off to sleep with a secret in her heart: She will fast, too! Not eating or drinking at school the next day is harder than Aliya imagined. Her tummy rumbles when she turns down her snack, her lunch, and even the delicious-looking sprinkle-laden cupcakes that the class eats to celebrate a student’s birthday. Later, when Aliya helps Ammi bake dessert at home, she accidentally indulges in a bite of sugary, sticky baklava. Aliya cries out in guilt, and Ammi soothes her and explains that there are other ways to celebrate Ramadan, such as helping those in need and sharing meals with the community. Ramadan ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr and Aliya looking forward to the next year’s festivities. Illustrations filled with rich colors and strings of stars and crescents capture the spirit of joyous celebration. Drawing from her own experiences, Zaman provides a helpful look into the basic practices of Ramadan. Cues in the text suggest that Aliya and her family are South Asian; her community is a diverse one.
A cheerful and relatable tale of a young girl finding the perfect way to celebrate Ramadan. (author’s note, glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9781771475648
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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