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Overview
It's Eid, and Aneesa should be happy. But her parents are thousands of miles away for the Hajj pilgrimage. To cheer her up, her grandmother 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. Aneesa discovers that the girls are refugees. Aneesa can't stop thinking about what Eid must be like for them, and she comes up with a plan to help make it the best Eid holiday ever.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
Aneesa's parents have gone on the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, while she stays home in America with her grandmother. She misses them, especially on the holiday of Eid. Her grandmother tries to cheer her with a gift of beautiful new clothes. She is also making her favorite dinner, lamb korma. After the service at the Prayer Hall, Aneesa meets two young sisters, refugees from trouble abroad, and decides to give the poor girls her new clothes and the special dinner. At first their father says that they must not take charity. But then he accepts as long as he can share with their needy neighbors. Aneesa and her Nonni are happy to eat pizza for dinner, feeling good about their holiday celebration. The detailed double-page illustrations focus on the characters while including objects from their lives. Jacobsen uses pastel pencils to create the sequence of scenes that reflect the changes in mood in this moral tale. Notes add information about the holiday and the pilgrimage. There is also a glossary with pronunciation information.School Library Journal
Gr 1-4
This beautifully composed story straddles two worlds-America and Islamic Indo-Pakistani culture. Eid-ul-Adha is a celebration of Prophet Abraham's sacrifice and trust in God. It is celebrated in a manner similar to Thanksgiving by offering lamb rather than turkey, which is distributed among the poor, the family, and friends. This benevolent distribution is a key part of this story. Aneesa is missing her parents, who have gone to Saudia Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, leaving her at home in America. Her grandmother distracts her with gifts, then cooks her favorite meal-lamb korma. Dressed in their elegant holiday clothing, Aneesa and Nonni visit the mosque. Aneesa notices two sisters in ragged clothing who are refugees from a war-torn country. Feeling concern for them, she puts together a plan with Nonni's help. This is a heartwarming tale of a child's generosity, and Jacobsen's illustrations flesh out the warmth and tenderness of the characters' interaction. This is a welcome contribution, giving much-needed visibility to a celebration observed by over ten million people in North America. A glossary explains the Arabic and Urdu terms.
—Fawzia Gilani-WilliamsCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.