Islamic Festivals

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7--Two books that promise a great deal, but deliver little. Islamic Festivals is not just about celebrations; it also discusses the Koran, daily and weekly worship, and the life of Muhammad. However, the text is stodgy and complex. Knight fails to indicate the relative importance of the festivals, and her omissions are numerous--even a question cited on the back cover isn't answered. A. A. Ahsan's Muslim Festivals (Rourke, 1987; o.p.) is far more informative and better organized. Suhaib Ghazi's Ramadan (Holiday, 1996) and Dianne MacMillan's Ramadan and Id al-Fitr (Enslow, 1994) provide more details on this significant celebration. Sharukh Husain's What Do We Know About Islam? (Peter Bedrick, 1997) covers major festivals and much of the other material found in Knight's title, and is easier to comprehend. Christian Festivals focuses primarily on Christmas and Easter; Thompson also mentions Sundays, Pentecost, Harvest Festival, Thanksgiving (which--at least in the U.S.--is not strictly a Christian holiday), and All Saints' Day. The book is simplistic and poorly written. Although a few words have been changed to appeal to an American audience, the original British emphasis (and bias) is glaring. Most of this material can be readily found in other books on holidays or individual denominations.--Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY