The Best Eid Ever

by Asma Mobin-Uddin, Laura Jacobsen (Illustrator)

Young readers can learn about Eid, a religious holiday celebrated by Muslim families every year, as well as the Hajj pilgrimage, when Muslims travel back to Mecca for the Eid, in this picture book about Muslim culture and traditions written by Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin and illustrated by Laura Jacobsen.
 
This Eid, Aneesa should be happy.  But, her parents are thousands of miles away for the Hajj pilgrimage. To cheer her up, her Nonni gives her a gift of beautiful clothes, one outfit for each of the three days of Eid. At the prayer hall, Aneesa meets two sisters who are dressed in ill-fitting clothes for the holiday. She soon discovers that the girls are refugees – they had to leave everything behind when they left their native country to live in America.  Aneesa, who can't stop thinking about what Eid must be like for them, comes up with a plan – a plan to help make it the best Eid holiday ever. School Library Journal "[A] beautifully composed story. . . . This is a welcome contribution, giving much-needed visibility to a celebration observed by over ten million people in North America." And Library Media Connection "After reading this book, children will have a greater appreciation for the Muslim culture and will have no problem realizing that love is an action word."

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Islam, Religion, Cultural, Muslims

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 2007

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young Pakistani-American girl named Aneesa is despondent as the holiday of Eid-al-Adha begins in this engaging story, missing her parents, who are performing the Hajj pilgrimage in far-away Saudi Arabia. Nonni, her grandmother, soon cheers her up however, showing her the lovely new Eid clothes she is to wear - three sets, one for each day of the holiday! - promising her that they will spend some quality grandmother-granddaughter time together, and tempting her with some delicious lamb korma. Although comforted, Aneesa's thoughts are still far away with her parents (even during the imam's sermon at the mosque), until she meets two girls at the reception after the services, and realizes that the newcomers, Zayneb and Mariam, are refugees who have almost nothing. Suddenly, her mind on something other than her own problems, Aneesa decides just what will make this the best Eid ever...

After greatly enjoying this author's A Party in Ramadan , I have been meaning to read The Best Eid Ever, erroneously believing that it concerned the holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that this story concerns Eid-al-Adha! Unlike Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr, which are explored in a number of excellent picture-books ( The White Nights of Ramadan , The Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story , Moon Watchers: Shirin's Ramadan Miracle ), I have never seen an English-language story about Eid al-Adha, so this book is particularly welcome, for that reason. It is also just a very engaging story, one that celebrates generosity, and the importance of giving, in the Muslim tradition. Recommended to anyone looking for Eid-al-Adha stories for children, or for titles featuring Pakistani-American families.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely lovely story about Eid al-Adha (just before Eid al-Fitr because this was on the library's Eid display). The story is about a young girl who is missing her parents while they're on the Hajj pilgrimage, but with the help of her grandmother she chooses to make Eid more festive for a local refugee family. It has beautiful, soft illustrations and a sweet message about kindness and spreading joy for holidays. Recommended!

Eid Mubarak!

[Risa Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Best Eid Ever" tells the story of a girl named Aneesa and her experience while her parents are on their pilgrimage. Aneesa has to celebrate the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, Eid for short, without her parents for the first time. Eid is when Muslims celebrate the end of their month long fasting from dawn to dusk. Part of the celebration of Eid is going to mosque for the ceremony, which is when Aneesa meets two friends. These friends, Mariam and Zayneb, make Aneesa feel like she is a part of their family and still makes the holiday a special celebration.

Reading this story in the classroom would allow students to learn about another culture and religion, while also connecting to a concept they already are familiar with, which is the support and love friends can offer.

[Han Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very kind Mulism girl and her story. This book tells a story about how a Muslim girl Aneesa helped two refugee girls with cloth and food on Eid day. She gives her cloth and food to them secretly, although she just got the cloth from Nonni. This book prints us a beautiful picture of a warm-hearted girl using her way to celebrate Eid Day, which is the most important day in Muslim culture. The book makes the connection between refugee and normal people, and also show the situation of the refugees too. Also, the book strongly responds to the stereotype of refugees and also the Muslim people, showing kindness and love towards them.

[Alexsi Barashkoff]

The Best Eid Ever is a good representation of Islamic religion and Muslim people because it tells the history and travel of back to Mecca for Eid in a kid friendly fashion. The book is easy to understand and because it gives the history in such an understandable way it makes it a great book for kids of all reading levels and ages to enjoy and learn from.

[Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did a good job at highlighting some of the elements of Eid and celebrations and traditions that muslim families take part of. It also highlighted some of the character traits and values that muslim individuals have.. I liked that this book used the perspective of a young girl that other children can relate to and showed factual information indirectly without the book seeming like it was only informational. I hope that young muslim children may relate to this book and the ideals that it has sprinkled throughout it.

[Tibby]

The Best Eid Ever provides a lot of fodder for discussion with children. Aneesa is privileged in that her family is clearly financially secure. Not only have her parents gone off on hajj from the US, Aneesa gets several new outfits for Eid and there is plenty of food on the table. Contrast this with the refugee family she meets at the mosque. They have little food, one parent, and old clothes.

I know kids don’t need Messages in their books, but I do think there is a time and place for them, and a book that focuses on a holiday that encourages generosity is certainly one of those places. It is never heavy handed. Aneesa decides to do a good deed by sharing both food and clothing with the girls she has met. At first the refugee father is reluctant to take hand outs, but his daughters convince him that it’s okay to accept a helping hand.

The refugee family in the book would be a great conversation opener about the Syrian refugee crisis we’re currently seeing. I’m sure most of our kids are not blind to it. The book itself is longer with a fair amount of text on each page making it well suited to a second or even third grade age, which is also a good age to start talking to our students and children about these difficult issues (if you haven’t already).

This is certainly a worthwhile book for libraries to add to their holiday collections. Even though it’s about a Muslim holiday, the themes of generosity and compassion are not limited to Muslims and make it a book any child can learn from. As with The Perfect Gift, this is about Eid al-Adha, not Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan Eid), so be aware of this when shelving and cataloging it.

[Ala Abdallah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story about Eid and the meaning behind it. It starts off with a young girl named Aneesa who is disappointed that her parents won't join her this holiday because they are in Hajj (pilgrimage). Her grandmother cheers her up by presenting her with three new outfits to wear for the three days of Eid. When she goes to the mosque for Eid prayer she meets to girls who ran away from their homeland because of war and left everything behind. They were dressed in raggedy clothes and were eating food off the floor. Aneesa felt bad for them so she decided to donate her new clothes and jewelry as well as food to these two girls and their family. At first, their father was too stubborn to accept these gifts, but when he realized it was a young girl who gave them to his daughter he accepted them. This story was interesting for two reasons. First, when reading books about Eid, it usually centers around Middle Eastern families, yet this one was about a Pakistani girl. Pakistani culture was covered in this book such as clothes and food. Secondly, a young girl truly understand the meaning of Eid and decides to do a selfless deed. She gives aways her brand new clothes to girl's who needed them as well as a home cooked meal so they could celebrate the holiday as a happy family. Not many young children thing as maturely as Aneesa does. This could definitely be used in the classroom that can center around religion, customs or behavior in general.

[Ana Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a holiday that is specific to the Islamic religion. A little girl is being cared for by her grandmother while her parents are away on a Eid trip. On the day of the holiday, she receives new clothes on this day and it made her very happy. The traditional clothing is accurate to the culture and so is the holiday. The character shows she is close to her family because she misses them and wants them to return home with her.

In the story, the character is now aware that she is fortunate to have three new outfits for this holiday until she she goes to prayer and sees two sisters wearing ripped and old clothes. The sisters had lost everything and had to use their old clothes. They were sad their father was not with them because he had been working so much to provide for them. The main character then realizes how much she has and gives the girls a basket with food and clothes. This is a great book to teach students about giving back to those who are less fortunate. Muslim Americans can relate to the book because of the religious holiday but so can everyone else who gives back or eats pizza. The book ends with her and her grandma eating pizza and thinking it was the best Eid. This shows that even though her parents are not with her, she had a great time because she gave something to those who needed it the most.

[Nicolewinter2011 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrator: Laura Jacobsen
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
Year: 2007
Interest Level: 3-4
Reading Level: 3-4

This book was an honorable mention book for the 2008 MIDDLE EAST BOOK AWARD. The Best Eid Ever touches upon some traditions for the Muslim holiday, Eid. However, the story is more about a tale of a girl showing friendship to a couple of refugees. It is not clear where the refugees are from, but the main character shows concern for them and reaches out by having her grandmother help her to surprise the girl and her father with some gifts of clothing and food. Subtle and not-so-subtle references are made about Muslim culture- pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and people not wanting to accept charity (if assumed as part of Muslim culture).

This book could be used as a part of a collection of stories related to immigration, but there are references to G-d and Muslim stories, so depending on culture of school/classroom, there may need to be more in depth preview or discussion? I personally avoid texts that refer to G-d in my public classroom. My mother does not understand why, but I guess I feel that a public classroom is not the place to include such a discussion unless it is a specific class about religion.

[Ariel S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Narrative Text: Realistic Fiction
This is a good book to help children understand what little immigrants/refuges have when they come to America. Aneesa is sad to have to spend Eid without her parents but her grandmother has a great day planned. When they get to church to celebrate with their family and friends, she notices two girls without shalwar kameez (outfit for the holiday). She asks them why they don't have the proper clothing and they explained that they just moved here. The grandmother later explains to Aneesa why the two girls weren’t able to take any thing home from the war. It gave the granddaughter the idea to share her riches with her new friends. “The Best Eid Ever” gave the view point of what happens to the refugees when they make it to America. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning about what the holiday Eid is.

This book reminded me of Cowhey because in her class she did a charity function with them. The children loved it and enjoyed being useful, just like this girl loved helping her new friends.

[Jose Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eid al-Adha is the biggest holiday of the Muslim year. The main character Aneesa is sad because this year her parent's won't be celebrating with her because they have left to Saudia Arabia for the Hajj Pilgrimage. At the prayer hall, Aneesa meets to little girls who are struggling. Their story touches Aneesa. The two girls and their parent's house burned down. They are war refuges and have just moved to the U.S. Aneesa was wondering why these two girls were not wearing their new clothing for the celebration. We are reminded through this story that holidays are a time for giving thanks and giving to those who are in need. At the end of the story Aneesa and her grandmother put a gift basket together for the two girls and their parents and drop it off at their home. After all it did turn out to be one of the best Eid's ever for Aneesa.

[Paul Farbman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story about Muslim American culture. Central to the story is the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and a visit to a Mosque to pray. When Aneesa finds out that a family in their congregation has lost everything when their house was burned in a war in Pakistan, Aneesa and her grandmother make a basket of special clothes and food for Eid and leave it on the doorstep of the family's home.

The portrayal of Muslim Americans in the story portrays both their similarities and differences from the mainstream culture. Specifics of Islam are used when describing the traditions of Eid and the story of Abraham. The issues describing charity, the Biblical similarities to the Quran, the bonds between family, and eating pizza on a holiday are things that people from almost every background can relate to.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Best Eid Ever tells the story of a Muslim girl who is excited to be celebrating Eid with her grandmother, but also misses her parents who are on the Hajj Pilgrimage. At prayer, she meets two little girls with tattered clothes. She and her grandmother secretly surprise the girls with nice Eid clothes and an Eid feast. This is a fictional telling, but it teaches about the Muslim holiday of Eid. At the back of the book, there is a description of the Hajj Pilgrimage and Eid al-Adha, which would be best read before you read the story, if you aren't familiar with Eid. There is also a handy glossary. The illustrations are pleasant, and the story is an important addition to books about holidays.

[Brittany Cullen]

i really liked this book. It is about a muslim family and Eid, a big holiday for them. A girl is with her grandma becuase her parents are gone and she receives three new outfits for the prayers and after the fist prayer she meets a couple girls that are not dressed nice and are hunting for food. she talks to her grandma and decides to drop off her other two eid outfits and some food at their door but the father does not approve, after seeing the girl he changes his mind and makes the girls happy by letting them keep them. It shows how when you give something of yours to people who have less then you will make them really happy as well as yourself. It was a fun book to read with a great lesson of sharing and giving to make others happy too

[Hunter Woodley]

Aneesa and her grandmother prepare to celebrate this years Eid holiday. Aneesa is sad because her parents are away in Saudi Arabia, but Nonni has special plans to cheer her up. Nonnis surprises work their charm, and Aneesa finds some joy in the beautiful new Eid clothes from Pakistan and in her favorite dinner foods cooking. But her cheer vanishes when she meets children who have lost all of their own belongings in a devastating fire. Aneesa comes up with a plan that will bring the joy of the Eid holiday to her own family as well as her new friends. This book shows the what a difference one person can make. The colorful illustrations bring life to everyday household objects and parallel the emotions of the text perfectly.

[Rahmadiyanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kisah yang manis dan mengharukan tentang kepedulian seorang muslim terhadap muslim lainnya. Tentang Aneesa yang sedih karena kedua orangtua melakukan ibadah haji sehingga tidak bersama dengannya di Hari Raya Idul Adha. Namun kesedihan itu tak seberapa saat Aneesa berjumpa dengan dua kakak beradik, anak pengungsi perang, yang tak memiliki pakaian bagus dan makanan di hari raya. Aneesa dan neneknya pun merencanakan sesuatu untuk keluarga kakak beradik tersebut. Sesuatu yang kemudian menjadi perayaan Idul Adha terbaik bagi Aneesa.

Selalu suka dengan karya Asma Mobin-Uddin (baru dua sih yang saya baca). Cerita yang sederhana namun penuh makna. Asma sepertinya juga selalu mengangkat kehidupan imigran di AS.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about the Eid Al-Adha, the celebration of the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. A young girl's parents are in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj and she gets three new outfits for Eid. She goes to the mosque to pray and afterwards meets two refugee sisters, who do not have new clothes. She decides to give them two of her three outfits, as well as food that her grandmother had prepared. She feels happy that she was able to help them out and ends up sharing a veggie pizza with her grandmother and can't wait to tell her parents what happened. Information on terminology used in the book and on the different holidays in the back of the book.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aneesa is a Pakistani American who is celebrating Eid, a Muslim holiday, with her grandmother. Wearing beautiful new clothes from Pakistan, Aneesa comes out of the prayer hall to find two sisters, poorly dressed, who are refugees newly arrived in America. How can she make their Eid a happy one? This story of kindness and understanding will leave readers with a warm feeling inside. Even if you are not Muslim and do not celebrate Eid, there are ways you can make refugees feel welcome in this country. A wonderful story for all children. Recommended.

[Elizabeth]

This is a nice story about a Pakistani-American girl struggling to feel the joy of Eid-al-Adha while her parents are away at the Hajj pilgrimage and learning about the experiences of others who are struggling even more than she is. I was irritated by the father's initial resistance to taking "charity" because doing charity is an important part of Islam so shouldn't people understand that being the recipient of charity isn't something to be ashamed of?

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet story about a young girl celebrating Eid with her aunt while her parents are away. It uses authentic language and stays away from stereotypes (to my knowledge). There's a glossary in the back with important terms.

Themes: Religion, sacrifice, helping others, thankfulness

[Am.Aversa]

This book was about a Muslim girl, Anees, who meets two sisters. The sisters were refugees and they did not have new clothes to wear for Eid. Anees and her Nonni (grandmother) left a basket with a beautiful outfit for each of them to wear.
Genre: Realistic fiction

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple modern tale of a child's empathy for others, set at the Eid holiday among American Muslims. Nicely illustrated.

[Andrea Labonte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little hard to read but a great book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story resonated with third graders. Generosity is at the heart of the story.

[Tony Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice book. The story was clear and had nice illustrations to go along with it. The story was able to show empathy between the kids.

[Farhana Afroz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a disappoint to me. I thought it would describe the festival and it's purpose to all the children. But I found it little confusing.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this book is about Eid al-Adha which, the author says, is the larger of the two main Muslim holidays. It is "the feast of the sacrifice" and is a celebration that occurs at the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. From the author's note at the back of this book, "It honors the Prophet Abraham's steadfastness, obedience, and love for God...." I'm not sure why, but it seems that the Eid following Ramadan is the one I usually hear about here in the US so it was a wonderful surprise to come across this book as I gathered books for Eid al-Fitr.
Anyway, The Best Eid Ever is a very sweet book. I appreciate the emphasis on selflessness and giving to others. It subtly weaves in the hardships faced by refugees fleeting their war-torn homelands, yet reminds that "God helps everyone [...] but not always in the way you might think. Instead of just taking away the bad times, He might send good people to help them through the bad times. Meanwhile, the families have to work hard and trust that God's help is always near." In this story, the little girl (Aneesa) is that helpful person, bringing food and lovely new Eid clothes to a struggling refugee family. The father almost turns the gift basket away, reminding his children that "A Muslim does not beg from others" and that there are others more needy than they. However, his daughters remind him that they didn't ask for it, it simply came and when the father realizes that it was a little girl who sacrificed her own Eid feast for the benefit of his children, and that his own children suggest they share the meal with neighbors, he is moved and accepts. Aneesa and her grandmother end up eating delivered pizza for their Eid feast, but both agree it is was the best Eid ever! Includes a Glossary, as well as notes about the "Hajj Pilgrimage" (which is where Aneesa's parents are in this story), "Eid al-Adha" and "Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael [Ibrahim, Hajar and Ismail]" making this educational for those not already familiar with these aspects of the Islamic faith.

[Shariel Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Eid Ever was a great story about a young Muslim girl Aneesa. I am familiar with the Muslim culture, and I feel that it is a great book to help build confidence with other Muslim children. I also feel that it teaches other children about the religion and the meaning behind their clothing.

I also liked that it touched on how many of their families have to leave where they are from and move to America where they would be safe. Explaining to children why other people's lives are different from their own isn't always easy but this book would help. This is Great Read, its actually educational for children of all ages.

[Gabriela Suchecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Eid Ever by Asma Mobin-Uddin is a children's book about Eid. The main character Aneesa wants to help two muslim girls who are less fortunate during the special holiday called Eid. This book shows the importance of kindness and love. Aneesa shows the importance of giving to those that are less fortunate or new to the country. It is intended for the readers k- 3 grade level. This book teaches students to be kind and loving. I would read this book in my class during the read aloud session.