This book for beginner readers just begins to scratch the surface about what Ramadan is about. Readers learn that it is celebrated by Muslims, who practice Islam. The fact that Ramadan is a month is emphasized but not that different peoples have different calendars or that it takes place at different times during the year. I wish this went into a little more detail about why the calendar is different, as that is a question that I can definitely see kids having.
I do like the photographs that depict Muslims all over the world honoring the month in different ways. I think this does a good job of showing the diversity of the religion and the practices. I also like that these images feature kids as well as adults celebrating in a variety of ways.
I may bring this one in to share with the kids since it's at their reading level, although I'm not thrilled with the information it contains.
So I saw my middle eastern friends who live on that side of the globe post about Ramadan. I was very curious about this holiday and read about it in the book. Its very similar to Easter and the Passover. They give up something for the month, near Christmas time and they only eat when it is dark so they have a big breakfast early in the morning and late at night. They celebrate with their families and friends. They pray during the day and at the end they celebrate with a feast and gifts.
Just keep reading, just keep reding, just kep reading! This book really encouraged me to keep reading about the Ramadan holiday. It is an easy read for students nd very informative. Being that I beleive students should have some knowledge of all cultures, I will try my best to have a copy of this book in my class library.
A good text for very early readers. The vocabulary is controlled and there isn't an excess of text on the page. Still, the book provides a decent introduction to Ramadan. The information about the Islamic calendar should perhaps have been more thoroughly explained.