Anthology Features 15 Amazing Stories about Eid and So Much More!
By Zahirah Lynn Eppard
Maryland

 

We are blessed to have some amazing Muslimah writers on the scene, penning stories about Muslim children. That is evident in a big way in a recent release entitled  Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices. The collection is edited by popular authors S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed and would be a great addition to your personal collection or library check-out list.

The book dishes up the experiences of Muslim boys and girls of various ages from all corners of the world, from different backgrounds, family compositions, and cultures. The stories take us on a culinary journey with the deliciousness of familiar sights and aromas on Eid - jollof rice and plantains, koshari and basbousa, biryani and gulab jamun, kabobs and ma’amoul, lontong and sambal. Yum!

Main characters – like Kareem who learn to live up to his name, Leila who wears hijab for the first time to school, Humza who pitches in while his parents are on Hajj, Bassem who searches for new meaning as a refugee in a foreign land, and Makayla who celebrates her first Eid as a new Muslim – are well developed and add insights from a variety of perspectives. They travel by train, by boat, by car, and on foot to lament about everything from Eid presents to the emotional pain of the first holiday after a divorce or the sudden death of a parent.

In these adventures children learn about love and loss, about how the lessons in the stories of the prophets ring true in their own lives, about how to appreciate the here and now. And, to also be mindful of the Hereafter.

The 15 stories are quick reads, and the casual yet consistent reinforcement of familiar Islamic concepts and symbolism is comforting and makes for a good story time or bedtime read for children of all ages. Parents will want to indulge in the reading, too, to witness firsthand how stories can present a glimpse into the lives of other Muslim families that also help the kiddos appreciate the blessings that abound in our own homes. This book is a win-win for everyone and would also make a great Eid gift for someone you love!

(Zahirah Lynn Eppard is the managing editor of the Muslim Home parenting newsletter project. As Sound Vision’s Director of Religious Education, she has also spearheaded the production of more than 450 online classes serving children ages 3-12 in the Adam’s World and Colors of Islam Clubs. Eppard has also worked in the field of education as a teacher, homeschooler, and Islamic school principal, as a family and crisis intervention counselor, as a lobbyist, and social justice activist. She lives with her husband and six children in Maryland.)

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