Yasmeen, a seven-year-old Pakistani-American girl, celebrates the Muslim holidays of Ramadan, "The Night of the Moon" (Chaand Raat), and Eid. With lush illustrations that evoke Islamic art, this beautiful story offers a window into modern Muslim culture—and into the ancient roots from within its traditions have grown.
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From School Library Journal
Grade 2–4—The new crescent appears, marking the first day of the month of Ramadan. Yasmeen, a seven-year-old Pakistani-American girl, is confused because "it's only the seventeenth." Her mother explains that the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar. At sunset, the family enjoys a special dinner. The following week, her family prepares food to be distributed at a mosque. One night, Yasmeen sees that the moon is full, and realizes that the observance is half over. Other events include a family barbecue and a celebration of the "Night of the Moon" at the community center, where stalls sell clothes, jewelry, toys, snacks, and gifts. Then Ramadan is over, and the next day is Eid. Yasmeen awakes to her brother's greeting of "Eid mubarak," and the children receive gifts of money. Paschkis's beautiful paintings incorporate Islamic tile art, adding to an authentic sense of the culture. Suitable both for independent reading and reading aloud, this book also serves as an excellent resource for teachers and librarians.—Fawzia Gilani-Williams, Oberlin Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* The Muslim holiday of Ramadan gets a vibrant, visually exciting treatment here. Yasmeen, a seven-year-old Pakistani American girl, looks out the window with her mother, watching the moon’s first crescent. Mom explains how in the Islamic calendar the months follow the lunar cycle, and an excited Yasmeen realizes it’s time for Ramadan. In school, she shares with her classmates details of the holiday, such as the fast. At home, she shares meals with family. The holiday moves week by week, until finally the sky is moonless. “The Night of the Moon” means Ramadan is over, and the next day is the holiday of Eid. Khan’s author’s note explains the origins of Ramadan and the reasons for fasting. The book focuses on the celebratory aspects of the holiday rather than the religious underpinnings, more of which could have been included in the text. But the upbeat tone of the writing is matched by Paschkis’ lively, jewel-like art that uses Islamic decorative stylings and has the look of enameled design work. Midnight blues and sea greens frame pictures of Muslims from many cultures and traditions, all sharing sacred days. Grades K-2. --Ilene Cooper
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful story,
This review is from: Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story (Hardcover)
"Night of the Moon" is a delightful story about how a Pakistani-American girl celebrates Ramadan and Eid with her family and community. I bought the book to help teach my children about the holidays of another religion (we are Jewish). The book gave my children and me a much better understanding of how Ramadan and Eid are celebrated and what the holidays mean to people. The book portrays the holidays in such a warm and caring way that when we finished reading my four year old wanted to celebrate it too. At one point, the story describes how the family eats their favorite foods when breaking the fast. Hearing that, my son said "I REALLY like Ramadan." I told him that we could each pick a favorite food to break the fast on Yom Kippur, which we did, so the book inspired a new family tradition in our house. My children also enjoyed how the book describes the changing stages of the moon over the month of Ramadan. At the end, the book says the moon looked like it was drawn in the sky with chalk. My son was very interested in this imagery and asked if he could ever see the moon when it looked that way. The pictures in the book are bright and colorful and very appealing to a child's eye. I highly recommend this book for children of all faiths who are interested in learning more about Ramadan and Eid.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Night of the Moon,
By
This review is from: Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story (Hardcover)
I highly recommend this book for children, parents, and teachers. It is gorgeously illustrated and beautifully written. Any child living in the US can identify with the two Muslim kids in the book, Yasmeen and Bilal. They attend a multi-ethnic school, their mother does not wear a hijab (although she is still a devout Muslim), and they even eat chocolate fudge cake and cupcakes! You will wish to have pictures from the book framed for your wall, but will have to settle for searching for the moon on a nightly basis instead.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well written and beautifully illustrated,
By Gina (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story (Hardcover)
This book is a welcome addition to my children's library. We are Jewish, but my kids--twins in kindergarten--love learning about all cultures. The book explains the holidays of Ramadan and Eid and depicts a family's celebration of these holidays. It's well-written and fun. The illustrations are striking and gorgeous, with saturated colors. My kids love this book.
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