Under the Ramadan Moon

Children's Literature - Carlee Hallman

The celebration of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan by a family is told in a single sentence per two page spread. The soft colored pictures show the family in various actions and settings that add to the text. A new moon begins and ends the holiday. Through Ramadan, the family fasts during the day. The father reads to his son on the steps outside their house. The mother holds her daughter on a swing from a tree. At night they eat. They "speak kind words and stop bad habits under the moon." They give to the poor and read the Qur'an. Friends and food are part of it. Many pray at the mosque. A page with further explanation of the holiday appears at the back of the book. "In the United States, Ramadan recipes and customs reflect the many different cultures Muslim Americans come from." Muslim parents will enjoy reading the simple text and talking about the pictures with their young children. Other parents and children may come to understand the customs of neighbors and friends. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4

This delightful picture book describes the monthlong Muslim observance of Ramadan by a modern family. It begins, "We wait for the moon./We watch for the moon./We watch for the Ramadan moon." The images of the waxing, full, and waning moon progress along with the spare, lyrical text. Practices such as fasting, speaking kind words, giving to the poor, decorating with bright lights, and praying all take place, "under the moon, under the Ramadan moon." Williams uses soft, luminous pastels in richly textured, detailed spreads. People have warm, generous smiles, and women in hijaab give tender hugs and talk on a cell phone. Moonlight and firelight add to the congeniality. The repetitive line "under the moon..." also makes this an excellent resource for teachers and librarians for choral reading and discussion.-Fawzia Gilani-Williams, Oberlin Public Library, OH

Kirkus Reviews

This book for the very young adds to the growing number of books on Islamic fasts and feasts, but in its simplicity it doesn't supply very much in the way of information. The text starts off rhythmically: "We wait for the moon / we watch for the moon / we watch for the Ramadan moon," but make little sense when it states "We fast by day / under the moon . . . " and becomes downright pedestrian as "We speak kind words / and stop bad habits / under the moon." The pastels lend a special softness and serenity, glowing with intensity when it is really night and the moon is shown in its different phases throughout the lunar month of Ramadan, and the people depicted show some of the diversity of the American Muslim community. Most young readers, however, won't understand that the people in the book are living through a month of fasting each day, and even the author's note doesn't provide adults with enough details to expand upon the text. (Picture book. 3-5)