Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story

*2019 Daybreak Children’s Picture Book Award — Recognizing Muslim Women’s Contributions to Literature* *Notable Social Studies Trade Book For Young People 2016, a cooperative Project of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council* *Featured Book of the Month, Anti-Defamation League* *American Library Association Notable Book for Children 2016* * Skipping Stones Honor 2016* *International Literacy Association Choices Reading List* 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. Fountas & Pinnell Level N