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Ramadan Moon
Muslims all over the world observe Ramadan and the joyful days of Eid-ul-Fitr at the end of the month of fasting as the most special time of year. This lyrical and inspiring picture book captures the wonder and delight of this great annual event. Accompanied by illustrations inspired by Iranian art, the story follows the waxing of the moon from the first new crescent to full moon and waning until Eid is heralded by the first sighting of the second new moon. This book is for all children who celebrate Ramadan and those in the wider communities who want to understand why it is such a special experience for Muslims.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2009
9 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
Na'ima B. Robert
53 books801 followersNa’ima B Robert is descended from Scottish Highlanders on her father's side and the Zulu people on her mother's side. She was born in Leeds, grew up in Zimbabwe and went to university in London. At high school, her loves included performing arts, public speaking and writing stories that shocked her teachers.
Her popular 'From my sisters' lips' explored the reality of living as a Muslim woman in the West. She has written several multicultural books for children, including 'The Swirling Hijaab', 'Going to Mecca' and 'Ramadan Moon'. She is also the author of the teen novels 'From Somalia, with love', 'Boy vs Girl', 'Black Sheep' and the award-winning 'Far from Home', a historical novel set in Zimbabwe. Her cult classic 'She Wore Red Trainers' pioneered the 'halal romance novel' genre. She divides her time between London and Yorkshire and dreams of living on a farm with her own horses. Until then, she is happy to keep telling untold stories, calling for increased representation in children's books and mentoring other aspiring Muslim writers with her writing groups and programmes.
Her popular 'From my sisters' lips' explored the reality of living as a Muslim woman in the West. She has written several multicultural books for children, including 'The Swirling Hijaab', 'Going to Mecca' and 'Ramadan Moon'. She is also the author of the teen novels 'From Somalia, with love', 'Boy vs Girl', 'Black Sheep' and the award-winning 'Far from Home', a historical novel set in Zimbabwe. Her cult classic 'She Wore Red Trainers' pioneered the 'halal romance novel' genre. She divides her time between London and Yorkshire and dreams of living on a farm with her own horses. Until then, she is happy to keep telling untold stories, calling for increased representation in children's books and mentoring other aspiring Muslim writers with her writing groups and programmes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 23, 2020
I raided the Ramadan display at my public library this past weekend, coming away with a number of attractive picture-books about this important time in the Islamic calendar, from this title by British author Na'ima B. Robert, to
The Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story
, by Pakistani-American Hena Khan. Told in free verse, and illustrated with quirky watercolor and collage artwork, Ramadan Moon is less of a story of something that happens to someone, during the month of Ramadan, than a celebration of all the things one does to observe the month. Shirin Adl's illustrations do tie the narrative to a particular family, but the text itself is very general: "As the month of Ramadan approaches, We search the sky for a sign, Waiting, Anticipating, That silver sliver of brightness..."
Although I did appreciate this book as a basic introduction to the month of Ramadan for younger readers, I can't say that it was my favorite of the recent slew of Ramadan titles I've been reading. The free verse text just didn't appeal to me very much, having none of the strength of story of titles like Asma Mobin-Uddin's A Party in Ramadan , or Maha Addasi's The White Nights of Ramadan . I did like the creative artwork, which had a charming "crafty" feeling to it - the moon is made out of some kind of crinkly, silver paper (aluminum foil, perhaps?) - and really have nothing to say against the text. But for the reader who only has time for one Ramadan title, this wouldn't be my top recommendation.
Although I did appreciate this book as a basic introduction to the month of Ramadan for younger readers, I can't say that it was my favorite of the recent slew of Ramadan titles I've been reading. The free verse text just didn't appeal to me very much, having none of the strength of story of titles like Asma Mobin-Uddin's A Party in Ramadan , or Maha Addasi's The White Nights of Ramadan . I did like the creative artwork, which had a charming "crafty" feeling to it - the moon is made out of some kind of crinkly, silver paper (aluminum foil, perhaps?) - and really have nothing to say against the text. But for the reader who only has time for one Ramadan title, this wouldn't be my top recommendation.
January 20, 2016
I liked the book - I liked the flow and rhythm of the words, and the pictures were definitely interesting. And I know more about Ramadan now than I did before...but I don't think I know enough. I liked the voice of the child explaining what a family does during Ramadan - the prayers, the meals after sundown, the charity - but I would have liked a note in the back explaining a smidge about why.
(Granted, a Muslim family would probably already know this, but it would be nice all the same!)
(Granted, a Muslim family would probably already know this, but it would be nice all the same!)
March 6, 2012
A lovely picture book that tells the tale of Ramadan and Eid el-Fatir. Beautifully illustrated with a decoupage style overlaid with illustrations.
The only criticism I have of this book is that all the women wear the hijab, which is not true of Islam. This small bit of stereotyping takes this book down a notch.
The only criticism I have of this book is that all the women wear the hijab, which is not true of Islam. This small bit of stereotyping takes this book down a notch.
November 8, 2010
This is a more lyrical celebration of Ramadan than the previous picturebook I read ("Ramadan," Ghazi). I love the illustrations, which delightfully combine paper collage and drawing to evoke a homey feel but remains modern. My one quibble about the illustrations was the lack of diversity when portraying the wider Muslim community. It's especially puzzling given that the author definitely has African ancestry. It's probably due to publishers' annoying habit of jobbing writers and illustrators without too much thought. I also feel that the passage of time was not clearly expressed, and that's too big a wrinkle to ignore as time is an important component of the holiday. Lastly, I reared back at the use of "seething congregation." I don't know if British usage has less negative connotations than American usage, or if this is a literary reference about which I'm ignorant. I would have preferred a more neutral word, like "teeming" or "bubbling." Other than that, it's a pretty and joyful book. As someone who is not educated about Ramadan, I wouldn't use this as a single source of information. But, you don't have to as there are many more titles to explore.
July 13, 2018
A lyrical text that beautifully captures the month of Ramadan and the celebrations of Eid. Robert and Adl make a wonderful partnership, placing a lovely emphasis upon community and family and creating a togetherness that will be admired by all readers. This would be an excellent book to use is the classroom as a focus during Ramadan. Adl's illustrations are vibrant and glorious which creates a really special feel about such an important time in many children's lives, whilst Robert's words are informative for those who wish to increase their understanding.
September 23, 2009
Finally a fantastic book about Ramadan. The collage and ink pictures in this book are exquisite! The text offers a lively and poetic description of the celebration of Ramadan in a child's voice filled with excitement. Ramadan Moon would be a perfect read aloud for a diverse audience. This book will help kids who are not Muslim understand Ramadan while helping validate the experiences of children who are Muslim. A teacher's dream book!
May 22, 2018
THE best book that I have read for children on Ramadan. From the perspective of faith, it gently introduces the reader in understanding the celebration as both in and outsider. Robert finds a nice, poetic balance between information and faith here and every page presented by Adl is a delight and is truly inclusive in celebrating the diversity of those of Muslim faith.
March 22, 2024
Litt abstrakt, men lett å forstå av like vel. Godt bidrag til opplysning og gjenkjenning!
March 29, 2022
'Ramadan Moon' is a beautiful story about the celebration of Ramadan. This story turns Ramadan into many metaphors that show the true beauty of the holiday. It talks about unity within the Muslim community and the good deeds that are done throughout this holiday. The narrator mentions the moon quite frequently throughout the story and I believe it signifies as a clock. When the moon is in a crescent shape, that represents the start of Ramadan and the start of making wishes come true and praying to God about how thankful you are for this life. When the moon goes back to being crescent, it signifies the end of Ramadan and begins a new celebration, Eid. I love how this book teaches children about the beauty of Ramadan and how we should see past the fasting and look deeper into what Ramadan stands for and the significance it has in the Muslim faith.
May 5, 2019
Ramadan Mubarak!
It had been a family tradition to read this every year on Ramadan that died down in the past years but I found this recently and my family gathered as we read it once more in celebration of the month that has dawned.
Happy Ramadan if ur celebrating and if not now you can remember to wish all your Muslim friends and family best of luck!
It had been a family tradition to read this every year on Ramadan that died down in the past years but I found this recently and my family gathered as we read it once more in celebration of the month that has dawned.
Happy Ramadan if ur celebrating and if not now you can remember to wish all your Muslim friends and family best of luck!
October 3, 2019
This books is great because it balances non-fiction with fun. It is a great way of educating children on one of the months of the Islamic Calendar, without overloading them with the facts. The poetry makes it easier to listen to/ read.
I really liked the collage type illustrations with various details to notice and talking points.
I really liked the collage type illustrations with various details to notice and talking points.
November 16, 2017
This book follows a community of Muslims through the month of Ramadan. We learn of the traditions and feelings of Muslims throughout this holy month.
Ramadan Moon is a multicultural book, as it centers around a typically underrepresented group in literature (Muslims). The text and pictures clearly represent Muslims as being of all colors, shapes, and sizes around the word and portray them as a peaceful people, who celebrate family, spirituality, and charity.
I would use this book to teach about the writing trait of word choice. The author does a great job of painting a picture for us with her words. The words are poetic and make the reader feel as if he were celebrating Ramadan himself. Additionally, this book can be used to make readers more aware of the Muslim community and dispel myths that many Americans believe about Islam. There are social studies standards that can be integrated from this book, such as being part of a community and giving to less fortunate people. There is also a science element of the phases of the moon woven into the story. There is a lot that could be incorporated into writing instruction from this mentor text. It is a wonderful example of using striking words and phrases and using language effectively. By using certain words or phrases, students can learn to portray emotions behind the story.
The book level is 4.6. I could not find a guided reading level, but I would estimate it at an M or N.
Ramadan Moon is a multicultural book, as it centers around a typically underrepresented group in literature (Muslims). The text and pictures clearly represent Muslims as being of all colors, shapes, and sizes around the word and portray them as a peaceful people, who celebrate family, spirituality, and charity.
I would use this book to teach about the writing trait of word choice. The author does a great job of painting a picture for us with her words. The words are poetic and make the reader feel as if he were celebrating Ramadan himself. Additionally, this book can be used to make readers more aware of the Muslim community and dispel myths that many Americans believe about Islam. There are social studies standards that can be integrated from this book, such as being part of a community and giving to less fortunate people. There is also a science element of the phases of the moon woven into the story. There is a lot that could be incorporated into writing instruction from this mentor text. It is a wonderful example of using striking words and phrases and using language effectively. By using certain words or phrases, students can learn to portray emotions behind the story.
The book level is 4.6. I could not find a guided reading level, but I would estimate it at an M or N.
June 24, 2018
Ramadan Moon is a picture book for children from preschool to first grade. The book goes through the first to the last day of Ramadan with the waxing of the moon from the first new crescent to the second new moon. Shows us the traditions carried out by the Muslim people of worship, prayer and celebration to honor the annual event. I read the book to educate myself as I had a student who was celebrating Ramadan. I found this book enlightening on the subject with beautiful illustrations. The illustrations showed the traditional ways and customs of the Muslim people and showed their deep sense of faith and community. With being one who was unfamiliar with the subject it was an easy book for me to follow with a language I could understand. With the Muslim people being a culture that is stereotyped in so many ways this little book showed a brighter side of a community that is judged because of a small group. I find it so important to offer a diverse education to my young students and books like this can offer us the opportunity to explore and share their wonderful religious celebration with my class and educate ourselves to all the different ethnic cultures in the world.
August 4, 2017
Personally I really liked this book. I thought the language used was nice and the illustrations look great too, but not both of my children share my excitement (as is the case with so many Muslim children's books unfortunately)! My seven year old son did like it but he wouldn't pick it up himself and because my 3 year old daughter doesn't show too much interest with regard to the text or the illustrations throughout, we haven't picked it up since I ordered it in Ramadan!
If you're looking for something that will engage children and teach them about the core teachings of Islam first and foremost, please please see Sara Khan's newly published book- My First Book About the Qur'an. Although this isn't a book covering Ramadan in detail (I'm hoping she writes my first book about Ramadan in the future!), in terms of how she simplified complex ideas from the Qur'an and presented it in an appealing way to children (and adults to be honest!!! Everyone I have shown this book has been very impressed with it).
If you're looking for something that will engage children and teach them about the core teachings of Islam first and foremost, please please see Sara Khan's newly published book- My First Book About the Qur'an. Although this isn't a book covering Ramadan in detail (I'm hoping she writes my first book about Ramadan in the future!), in terms of how she simplified complex ideas from the Qur'an and presented it in an appealing way to children (and adults to be honest!!! Everyone I have shown this book has been very impressed with it).
September 17, 2014
Ramandan Moon is about the acts of fasting, charity and prayer during Ramandan (a significant period in the islamic calendar). Narrating in the first person a girl takes us through the month of Ramadan illustrating the acts that are fulfilled during this special month. I enjoyed reading this book as the author builds up the excitement of Ramadan and the celebrations of Eid which is felt throughout the book. In addition, it challenges stereotypes as the family in the story are depicted of white ethnicity which reinforces that Islam is a diverse religion that includes all races around the world. I would use this book in the classroom from Year 2 onwards as a whole class read during the month of Ramadan. Alternatively, it could be used in RE sessions when looking at Islam.
March 13, 2012
The thing I liked most about this book were the illustrations. However, since I am not very knowledgeable about Ramadan, I might not have appreciated the book to its fullest. It stroke me as a bit restrictive for its audience, as I cannot imagine a child who does not celebrate Ramadan to be very excited by this book. Furthermore, there are only girls portrayed in the book, which makes it even harder for boys that know little or nothing about Ramadan to empathize. However, a very good book to teach tradition/religion. I like the fact that it emphasizes more the traditional rather than the religious aspect.
October 20, 2018
"Ramadan Moon" is a simple but informational book for children to help others to understand Ramadan. I felt the text was easy to read and understand. I learned new information about Ramadan and can appreciate the month they celebrate. I did not know the importance of the moon or the fasting and nighttime prayer as well as their community interactions. I loved the illustrations that captured the month long celebration. I also enjoyed how the illustrator used various colors and textures in the story to help set the mood. This story was a wonderful tool to help others to understand a different religion, ethnicity and the diversity of another culture filled with traditions.
September 10, 2012
There's something delicate, understated, and calm in the conveying of the story and explanation in this book. While a children's book with cheerful illustrations reflecting the often bustling nature of its days, it also shows conveys the quiet times of connecting with God and with ourselves in others.
A unique addition to any multifaith collections, I find it tells the story of Ramadan so both children and adults can enjoy.
A unique addition to any multifaith collections, I find it tells the story of Ramadan so both children and adults can enjoy.
May 10, 2014
A beautiful book explaining fasting, charity and prayer during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid celebrations. Na'ima B Roberts' books are always worth looking out for, but British-Iranian illustrator Shirin Adl is new to me. Interestingly she portrays the family in the book as white and red-haired, emphasising that Islam is a world wide religion. Highly recommended for Y2+ for story time and RE, especially since Ramadan starts soon.
February 5, 2015
A lovely picture book to introduce the Islamic month of Ramadhan and the celebration of Eid that follows. The illustrations are colourful and have a collage-type effect, which will appeal to younger readers. The language used is easy to understand and provides an understanding of what Muslims do during Ramadhan and some of the reasons as to why (feeling grateful, doing good deeds, remembering God).
June 2, 2017
Another good book that symbolizes cultural diversity. Ramadan is a Muslim-Islamic practice, and it's good for kids to be surrounded with different cultures and see the bigger picture. This book does a good job showing what the culture does at the time of Ramadan.
January 19, 2010
A story to introduce Ramadan and Eid to those unfamiliar with these celebrations.
November 6, 2012
I think the language in Going to Mecca is slightly more powerful, but I still very much enjoyed this lyrical walk through one girl's Ramadan.
June 5, 2013
VERY good book about Ramadan
November 29, 2013
An appealing, colorful story about a family celebrating Ramadan.
April 28, 2016
A young girl tracks the phases of the moon and her activities during Ramadan. Rich with collage illustrations.
December 16, 2016
Ramadan
moon cycle
celebrations
Muslim
moon cycle
celebrations
Muslim
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2018
رسوم جميلة توصل للطفل روح رمضان
December 2, 2018
The illustrations are wonderful and the author was able to capture the spirit of the month. I would highly recommend his book.
December 10, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this story because of my lack of knowledge on ramadan. This book would be great to introduce to younger students because of introducing the muslim holiday tp them, it is very important they are informed of other religions and their traditions. This story is in the perspective of a girl that goes through documenting the different moon stages and what they mean to her. The illustrations are beautiful through collages that will help the students better understand the holiday and the actions of the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews