In the children’s books listed below you will find the joy and happiness that this special day brings. But they also highlight the need to be thankful for what we have and to be generous to others less fortunate than us. Incidentally, many of the books that were listed in the “Books about Ramadan for Kids & Teens” reading list (see here) also mention celebrating Eid.
Eid Stories for Children
Samira’s Eid by Nasreen Aktar
image source noorart.com
This picture book is a delightful read for young children as they witness a little girl and her brother prepare for Eid. At the start Samira and her younger brother keep their first fast for Ramadan. Then we see and feel their excitement as they spot the new moon signalling the start of the next month, Sha’ban, and as a result the day of Eid. The happiness and joy of going to salah, meeting family, eating food and having presents fill the rest of the book. And in the end Samira receives the best present of all. My copy of the books comes in Arabic and English but it is also available in English and a variety of other languages including Urdu, Albanian, French and Turkish. For ages 4 to 8.
Eid Kareem Ameer Saab! by Fawzia Gilani (Goodword Books)
This book contains a message that adults and children can learn from. Ameer Saab is wealthy and greedy. He refuses to give charity or pay his servant proper wages. That is until Ameer Saab begins to have nightmares and learns a lesson. Makes a good read-aloud story and for creative play (i.e. skit). For ages 6 to 10.
I’m Learning about Eid-ul-Fitr by Saniyasnain Khan (Goodword Books)
image source source onlineislamicstore.com
We meet Farah and Faisal who celebrate the day of Eid in London. Throughout the book they meet their friends who each come from different countries. We are shown beautiful paintings of the masaajid (mosques) from these countries. This is another books that’s good for reading aloud. For ages 5 to 8.
“I love Eid” in the Muslim Child by Rukhsana Khan (Albert Whitman & Company)
This short story in the collection Muslim Child comes immediately after Azeeza’s First Fast and is a first person telling of how Azeeza and her family spend the day of Eid. The language and pencil sketches really do a wonderful jo of drawing the child into the story. For ages 7 to 10.
For more Eid stories see this site for a collection of Muslim folktales and children’s Eid fiction, many written by the author Fawzia Gilani http://www.eidstories.com/
