Customer Reviews

Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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.

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.

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.

The phrase "Night of the Moon" has more to do with a uniquely south asian tradition on the last night of Ramadan, which is the application of henna and purchase of girls' glass bangles for the next day's Eid celebrations.

However, this book does an excellent job of describing the entire month of Ramadan's events leading up to the last "Night of the Moon". It is a clear introduction to Ramadan and a family's way of life during that period.

Unfortunately it does not help the non-muslim reader distinguish clearly the differences between a "cultural" tradition (the Night of the Moon) - which Muslims may or may not observe depending on the region they are from - and a "religious" tradition (e.g. the Night of Power - an Islamic holy night - and the Eid day which all Muslims observe).

The story progresses smoothly.

The artwork is unique.

The book is a definite collectible.

Reading level: grades 1-4

My 3 daughters, ages 2,5 and 7 love this book. It is beautifully written and illustrated, and focuses on those aspects of the holiday that children relate to the best. It also uses clear, simple language without speaking down to children. We are an interfaith Jewish/Christian family, and after we read this book my 5 year old asked if we could get more books about "religions that are not in our family". She is fascinated by religion and religious customs and really enjoys reading this book.

One of the best picture book on religion/culture/tradition I've seen.
Captivates young and older reader alike.
Illustrations as well as text/info draw you in and invite you to ask questions.
So glad our library brought it our attention.
I wish I could find one so inviting on No Rouz.

This is a charming story about the celebrations of Ramadan and brings into focus the universality of all fairh traditions. We read it aloud to our young people during church service to increase their understandings of Islam, an often misunderstood faith. This wonderful story should be a part of any library for those who want their children to understand and respect the spiritual pathways of others, as well as those who are Muslim.

I love this book! I always try to get my nieces and nephews books that teach them about world cultures and this is just the kind of book I like to give them. Gorgeous illustrations and a beautiful story, this book is for any child. Every child.

This is a wonderfully written story for children- but it also, eloguently educates adults. My family now understands Ramadan and the warmth its traditions bring to Muslim families. Because of The Night of the Moon, my 2nd grader and I both feel differently when we look at the moon. The illustrations are colorful and inviting. This is a great book to share with your children or for them to read to learn about Ramadan.

This beautiful story of young Yasmeen, a 7-year old American Muslim, observing Ramadan with her friends and family is a MUST HAVE for anyone with children! The book is accessible - the story is sweet and easy for children to identify with, and the book shares the traditions and meaning of Ramadan, while conveying the universality of the values that it embodies. The publication is top quality, with beautiful writing and gorgeous, richly colored illustrations. This book will introduce non-Muslim kids to the Muslim holiday, and provide American Muslims with a story in which they can see themselves.