The Best Eid Ever [Library Binding]

Asma Mobin-Uddin (Author), Laura Jacobsen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Boring Bible

It's Eid, and Aneesa should be happy. But her parents are thousands of miles away in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage. To cheer her up, her grandmother gives her a gift of beautiful clothes from Pakistan, one outfit for each of the three days of Eid. She even prepares lamb korma, Aneesa's favourite dinner, which they will enjoy when they return from prayers. At the prayer hall, Aneesa meets two sisters who are not dressed in new clothes for the holiday.Aneesa discovers that the girls are refugees. With their father, they have fled from their war-torn country. Aneesa can't stop thinking about the girls and what Eid must be like for them. That's when Aneesa comes up with a plan to help the girls celebrate Eid and make it the best Eid holiday ever.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Aneesa, apparently living in the U.S., misses her parents, who are in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage hajj, but she enjoys celebrating Eid al-Adha with her grandmother. They go to the prayer hall to hear a sermon. Afterwards, over doughnuts, she befriends two girls and learns that they have escaped from a war-torn country. Later, Aneesa talks with her grandmother about refugees and gains an ally in her plan to help her new friends, who appear to be poor and hungry. Although the text of this picture book is a little longer than most, the clearly written story will interest many children, including those who have never heard of Eid al-Adha. Jacobsen’s pastel-pencil pictures illustrate the story with warmth. Appended are a glossary, a pronunciation guide, and explanations of references that may be unfamiliar to children. By the writer of My Name Is Bilal (2005), this is a welcome addition to holiday collections. Grades K-3. --Carolyn Phelan

Review

Aneesa, apparently living in the U.S., misses her parents, who are in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage hajj, but she enjoys celebrating Eid al-Adha, the end of the hajj, with her grandmother. They go to the prayer hallto hear a sermon. Afterwards, over doughnuts, she befriends two girls and learns that they have escaped from a war-torn country. Later, Aneesa talks with her grandmother about refugees and gains an ally in her plan to help her new friends, who appear to be poor and hungry. Although the text of this picture book is a little longer than most, the clearly written story will interest many children, including those who have never heard of this special day. Jacobsen's pastel-pencil pictures illustrate the story with warmth. Appended are a glossary, a pronunciation guide, and explanations of references that may be unfamiliar to children. By the writer of My Name Is Bilal (2005), this is a welcome addition to holiday collections. --Booklist

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590784316
• ISBN-13: 978-1590784310
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #881,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm hearted story about the celebration of sharing, December 10, 2007

By 

Ayesha Zaheer-Chaudry - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Eid Ever (Library Binding)

This is a wonderful story about the joy and happiness that comes from giving. It teaches children that true celebration comes from sharing what you have with others. These values are common to Islam, Judaism and Christianity. This book has particular meaning at this time of the year as all three of these faiths celebrate special holidays this December. Indeed, it is better to give than receive.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, October 26, 2008

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best Eid Ever (Library Binding)

Aneesa wondered if she would be able to enjoy Eid al-Adha, the big Muslim holiday marking the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. This year her parents had decided to travel to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, and the house seemed so quiet with just Aneesa and her grandmother. But Nonni had a surprise to cheer up her granddaughter: a large gift-wrapped box containing three gorgeous sets of clothes from Pakistan, complete with matching bangles and handmade shoes. She had also prepared Aneesha's favorite curried lamb dish to enjoy after returning from prayers. It took an encounter at the prayer hall with two refugee girls for Aneesha to realize just how fortunate she was. The girls had fled their war-torn country with little more than the clothes on their backs, and their father worked long hours, even on Eid, to try to make ends meet.

An outstanding book, The Best Eid Ever provides readers with an interesting account of the Eid holiday and Muslim culture as seen through the eyes of a young child. Wrapped into the story is an important lesson about the economic hardships associated with war, and a child's growing awareness of the difference between wants and needs. The lush colors and expressive features in the pastel pencil illustrations add a rich dimension to this enjoyable story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Lovely Book for Children, January 6, 2008

By 

Mona James "Mona" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Eid Ever (Library Binding)

I truly enjoyed reading this book. The illustrations brought it to life. I donated the book to the local elementary school and they loved it. What a nice way to make young students understand other cultures and traditions.