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    Lailah's Lunchbox
    Lailah's Lunchbox
    Lailah's Lunchbox
    Ebook30 pages2 hours

    Lailah's Lunchbox

    By Reem Faruqi and Lea Lyon

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Lailah is in a new school in a new country, thousands of miles from her old home, and missing her old friends. When Ramadan begins, she is excited that she is finally old enough to participate in the fasting but worried that her classmates won't understand why she doesn't join them in the lunchroom. Lailah solves her problem with help from the school librarian and her teacher and in doing so learns that she can make new friends who respect her beliefs.
    This gentle, moving story from first-time author Reem Faruqi comes to life in Lea Lyon's vibrant illustrations. Lyon uses decorative arabesque borders on intermittent spreads to contrast the ordered patterns of Islamic observances with the unbounded rhythms of American school days.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTilbury House Publishers
    Release dateJun 1, 2015
    ISBN9780884484325
    Lailah's Lunchbox
    Author

    Reem Faruqi

    Reem Faruqi is the acclaimed author of Do You Even Know Me?, Call Me Adnan, Milloo's Mind, Anisa's International Day, Golden Girl, and Unsettled, which is loosely based on Reem’s own story. She is also the author of ALA Notable Books Lailah’s Lunchbox and Amira’s Picture Day and the award-winning I Can Help. Of Pakistani descent, Reem immigrated to Peachtree City, Georgia, in the United States from the United Arab Emirates when she was thirteen years old. Reem is also a teacher and photographer who loves to doodle. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and three daughters. Visit her online at reemfaruqi.com.

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    Reviews for Lailah's Lunchbox

    4/5

    46 ratings4 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Good Ramadan story about a girl feeling lil bit worried about explaining the reason for not bringing lunch during Ramadan in not so familiar with Muslim country.
    • 3/5
      Lailah is excited to be allowed to fast for the month of Ramadan, but misses her friends back in Abu Dhabi, where she lived before her family moved to Peachtree City, Georgia. When her mother gives her a note for her teacher, explaining about her fast, Lailah feels too awkward to hand it in, and finds herself struggling to explain to her classmates why she isn't eating lunch with them. Then a visit to the school library, and a chat with kindly librarian Mrs. Carman gives Lailah an idea about how to communicate what she is doing and why...Pairing an engaging and heartwarming tale with appealing illustrations, Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story is the first book I have read from author Reem Faruqi, who seems to have based her story at least partially on her own life experiences, moving from the United Arab Emirates to the United States as a young person. I appreciated that fasting for Ramadan is depicted as something positive and desirable here, rather than some sort of chore or obligation, and that the librarian was depicted as being so open and understanding. I certainly hope that this is the experience most children have, with those who work in their schools. I wasn't surprised to see that this was published by the Maine-based Tilbury House, which is one of my favorite small presses, as they have produced a number of other excellent picture-books about a variety of topics, including Ramadan (see Reza Jalali's Moon Watchers: Shirin's Ramadan Miracle). The illustrator here, Lea Lyon, has illustrated a number of Tilbury House titles I have enjoyed - Peggy Moss's Say Something, Genevieve Petrillo's Keep Your Ear on the Ball - and her work here is engaging. All in all, a successful picture-book, one I would recommend to those seeking Ramadan and/or contemporary Arab-American immigrant stories for children.
    • 5/5
      This is a really good read for upper elementary students to learn more about the Jewish culture and what Ramadan is. It offers beautiful illustrations and the journey to self acceptance as the main character finally is able to talk about what fasting is and why she is doing it. This would be a great book to introduce new cultures and show students to accept who they are and where they come from.
    • 4/5
      Now that she is ten, Lailah is delighted that she can fast during the month of Ramadan like her family and her friends in Abu Dhabi, but finding a way to explain to her teacher and classmates in Atlanta is a challenge until she gets some good advice from the librarian, Mrs. Scrabble.

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    Lailah's Lunchbox - Reem Faruqi

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