Muslim Kids Book Nook

📚 Upside-Down Iftar 📚
Author: Maysa Odeh
Illustrator: Nadine Issa
Publisher:
Age: 4-8

Islamic Content: Ramadan and family
Concerns: Singing prayers

Summary/Review:
I am always giddy when I see Pali rep in children’s books. These stories have been supressed for so long and I love that every year more and more books are being published. When I got this book, one of the very first thing that caught my eye as I was flipping through the pages was the stunning art work. The details and vibrant illustrations are just phenomenal.
This story is about a traditional Palestinian dish, makloubeh, that the grandmother cooks for the family for iftar and, Malak, her granddaughter is the assistant. The story is sweet and culturally rich and has Arabic words sprinkled throughout.
I do want to point out that the book describes the grandmother to ‘singing her prayers’. I personally find this particular description odd and incorrect. Especially since singing prayers is commonly practiced in churches. It is not the first time I came across this reference in recently published books. I wonder, is this a subconscious decision to make our Islam more relatable?
Other than this one word, the rest of book is fun to read. The backmatter provides a 2-page description and recipe of a traditional Makloubeh with detailed instructions.

#gifted