Ramadan

by Molly Aloian

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar during which Muslims across the world observe daytime fasting for a whole month. It is believed that it was during this month that the first verses from the Koran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Ramadan ends with Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the most important festivals in the Islamic religion. The practices observed throughout this holy month are detailed in a simple and informative manner.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Celia Buell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to return this one unread but something about it caught my eye and forced me to read it late last night. I'm glad I did.

I found Molly Aloian's Ramadan to be a lot more engaging than the other informational one I read by David F. Marx. This one explores the traditions in a more in-depth way. I like the way it devotes at least a page to each of the main (I'm assuming) traditions of the month, and not just the fasting and Eid. I already forgot what most of them are (and I switched this one out for the other one with the kids so I can't check right now), but it goes into them a lot more closely than the Marx one. It also talks about the different significance of the traditions, and identifies some Muslim traditions that aren't necessarily related to Ramadan but that can be a tie in (such as the Hajj to Mecca).

Like the Marx one, this one does a great job of showcasing kids in the celebrations, especially those who are too young to fast. I like the different ways it showcases of participating in the various traditions.

As I said, I traded this one for the Marx one at work. Partly I'm hoping that the cover will be more engaging than the Marx one, because I think it is. I also like the pictures a lot more and I find them more engaging and related to the text. This one is a little longer than the other one and has larger blocks of text but the text is well-spaced and in a user-friendly font, with not too many difficult words other than the Arabic ones. I'm hoping my kids will be more interested in this one than the other one.

*Read for: Children's Book group (Picture Book Club) - March 2023 Holidays Scavenger Hunt - Ramadan

[Ji · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an informational non-fiction book that describes what Ramadan is and how Muslims celebrate Ramadan. The book says that there are more than one billion Muslims living around the world and more than five million Muslims in the United States. The book shows a picture of millions of Muslims praying in Mecca. The book describes the meaning of pilgrimage, Hajj, prophet, translated, cycles, reinforce, Iftar, Sahoor, fast, and tolerance as well. I think this book is a great book for children and adults, including English Language Learners because it has definitions of words and pictures. The book shows diversity because the book shows Muslim families who live in the Middle East countries and western countries. As a teacher, I will use the vocabularies that book emphasizes to educate readers. I think it is important to educate students about other religions and religious terms that people use. Since, the book talks about tolerant, students will learn what tolerant means, and they will write about what tolerant means to them and write why having tolerant is important or not important. This book had so much information to learn about Muslims and Ramadan.

[Ladyphase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid expository book on the subject of Ramadan for young readers.

[Lin Lin]

Ramadan is a month-long Muslim holiday when followers of Islam fast during the day, read the Quran, pray, think about their life and faith, and help those in need. A good non-fiction book about Ramadan.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice overview of when and what Ramadan is for school aged kids.