Sadiq and the Ramadan Gift

This delightful book is the story of Sadiq and his friends during Ramadan. It starts with a dialogue between his teacher and fellow students as they learn and answer questions about the holiday. I appreciate how this is included. It makes it easy for all children to understand regardless if they are Muslims or not. The teacher suggests that sometimes people host iftars to raise money. Sadiq and his friends love this idea and form the Money Makers Club to donate money to a school in Somalia. As they are making posters, planning, and inviting people Sadiq notices his friend Zaza not participating. They talk and he realizes that Zaza wanted to donate blankets for babies in the hospital instead. After sharing this with his mom, Sadiq learns that there are different ways to help and achieve the same goal. The club decides to combine both ideas and they successfully raise money for the school and blankets for babies.

This early chapter book is part of the Sadiq book series which features a Somalian American protagonist. I love how it shares a narrative of Ramadan that all children can find similarities in. I also appreciate how it starts the book by giving information about Ramadan and its practices and then weaves the themes of charity and community throughout. It also includes a beautiful cross-cultural message: we can help others in many ways. In addition, this book contains a glossary, discussion questions, facts about Somalia, and a how-to guide for making blankets. 

Add to your bookshelf! Sadiq and the Ramadan Gift

Author: Siman Nuurali | Capstone (capstonepub.com)

Illustrator: Anjan Sarkar Illustration

Publisher: Home | Capstone (capstonepub.com)

I was kindly given this book for my honest review but all opinions are my own.