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A Party in Ramadan
Readers learn about the Islamic observance of Ramadan in this charming story of a young Muslim girl determined to do the right thing during her first Ramadan fast.
Ramadan is coming and Leena is excited. Although she is too young to fast every day during the Muslim religious festival, Leena decides to fast each Friday instead. When Leena receives an invitation to a party which happens to fall on Friday, she has a dilemma. She doesn't want to miss the party, but she doesn't want to miss fasting either. So Leena decides to go to the party, but not eat or drink anything at all. Later, she will join her family for the meal known as iftar, when the daily fast is broken. But when Leena, who is the only Muslim at the party, sees her friends enjoying fresh lemonade and chocolate cake, her stomach starts to growl and her head begins to hurt. Will she keep her Ramadan fast?
Author Asma Mobin-Uddin and illustrator Laura Jacobsen create a story that anyone can connect with while also teaching readers about Ramadan in this Parents' Choice Award book.
Booklist says: "The blend of the upbeat and challenging moments will spark discussion, and a final note fills in more about the holy month."
Ramadan is coming and Leena is excited. Although she is too young to fast every day during the Muslim religious festival, Leena decides to fast each Friday instead. When Leena receives an invitation to a party which happens to fall on Friday, she has a dilemma. She doesn't want to miss the party, but she doesn't want to miss fasting either. So Leena decides to go to the party, but not eat or drink anything at all. Later, she will join her family for the meal known as iftar, when the daily fast is broken. But when Leena, who is the only Muslim at the party, sees her friends enjoying fresh lemonade and chocolate cake, her stomach starts to growl and her head begins to hurt. Will she keep her Ramadan fast?
Author Asma Mobin-Uddin and illustrator Laura Jacobsen create a story that anyone can connect with while also teaching readers about Ramadan in this Parents' Choice Award book.
Booklist says: "The blend of the upbeat and challenging moments will spark discussion, and a final note fills in more about the holy month."
34 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 1, 2010
I think that this is the first book I’ve read where Ramadan has a central role, and it’s certainly the first such children’s picture book I’ve read. I’m lucky because it’s a wonderful book.
I’m so glad it ended as it did because all the way through the book, as I was reading, I was thinking of that occurrence as the perfect solution, although I would have added in the beverage too.
This is a terrific book for children, both for those kids who know nothing about Ramadan and those kids who observe it or whose families observe it. The story, and then the author’s note at the end, made me appreciate the tradition of fasting during this important month in the Muslim calendar. I learned something too: I knew Ramadan came at different seasons of the year but I didn’t know the specifics of how its time each year was determined; the note explained it well.
Children will be able to identify and empathize with Leena and her challenging day of fasting while at a birthday party where she is the only Muslim in attendance.
I appreciated seeing the warm family relationships and the close neighbor friends too, and I came close to tears at a couple of points in the story.
This is a perfect book for any child who has a tradition they follow that’s at all different from those of their friends and others in their community or who has a friend who has a different tradition from them and most they know. It’s also terrific for showing an instance where a child lives her beliefs, even when it’s not easy to do so.
I’m so glad it ended as it did because all the way through the book, as I was reading, I was thinking of that occurrence as the perfect solution, although I would have added in the beverage too.
This is a terrific book for children, both for those kids who know nothing about Ramadan and those kids who observe it or whose families observe it. The story, and then the author’s note at the end, made me appreciate the tradition of fasting during this important month in the Muslim calendar. I learned something too: I knew Ramadan came at different seasons of the year but I didn’t know the specifics of how its time each year was determined; the note explained it well.
Children will be able to identify and empathize with Leena and her challenging day of fasting while at a birthday party where she is the only Muslim in attendance.
I appreciated seeing the warm family relationships and the close neighbor friends too, and I came close to tears at a couple of points in the story.
This is a perfect book for any child who has a tradition they follow that’s at all different from those of their friends and others in their community or who has a friend who has a different tradition from them and most they know. It’s also terrific for showing an instance where a child lives her beliefs, even when it’s not easy to do so.
January 17, 2020
Although too young to participate in the full month of Ramadan fasting, Leena is determined to abstain from food and water for at least one day, selecting the very first Friday of the season, when her Aunt Sana will be visiting with the family. But when she is invited to her friend Julia's birthday party - a party with a pony! - the very same day, she is faced with a difficult choice. Leena doesn't want to give up her fast (and the subsequent breaking of the fast, together with her family), but also doesn't want to miss the party. If she attends the party while also fasting, can she hold to her intention, in the face of chocolate cake and lemonade?
This warmhearted, realistic examination of one young Muslim girl's experiences, in trying to reconcile her religious duties with the social demands of a multicultural society - one in which many of her friends do not observe the same customs - is absolutely spot-on, really highlighting the importance of Ramadan in a way I have not seen in other children's books on the subject. Perhaps because the reader can see the tension in A Party in Ramadan, is witness to the young heroine's struggle to reconcile her two conflicting desires, as well as what she believes she should do, the narrative here (without being morose) is really quite moving. The happy ending is just icing on the cake!
With an engaging story, appealing pastel pencil illustrations by Laura Jacobsen, and a little author's note at the end, explaining the significance of the month of Ramadan, this is now one of my favorite children's books on the topic! Highly recommended (along with Maha Addasi's The White Nights of Ramadan ) to anyone looking for high quality stories set during this important time in the Islamic calendar!
This warmhearted, realistic examination of one young Muslim girl's experiences, in trying to reconcile her religious duties with the social demands of a multicultural society - one in which many of her friends do not observe the same customs - is absolutely spot-on, really highlighting the importance of Ramadan in a way I have not seen in other children's books on the subject. Perhaps because the reader can see the tension in A Party in Ramadan, is witness to the young heroine's struggle to reconcile her two conflicting desires, as well as what she believes she should do, the narrative here (without being morose) is really quite moving. The happy ending is just icing on the cake!
With an engaging story, appealing pastel pencil illustrations by Laura Jacobsen, and a little author's note at the end, explaining the significance of the month of Ramadan, this is now one of my favorite children's books on the topic! Highly recommended (along with Maha Addasi's The White Nights of Ramadan ) to anyone looking for high quality stories set during this important time in the Islamic calendar!
April 15, 2012
This story is about a girl, Leena, who decides to fast the first day in Ramadan that also happens to land on the day of her friend's birthday party. She doesn't seem to notice at first that she is fasting until they bring out the cake. She is tired from playing out in the sun all day and sits in another room while the rest of her friends enjoy chocolate cake and cold lemonade. She ends up falling asleep on her friend's couch and the next thing she knows she's at home with a meal cooking on the stove. Her parents and aunt are proud of her for sticking through the day even though she is too young to fast. In the end her friend and her parents come over with some left over cake and she feels proud that she was able to fast a whole day even though it was very difficult for her to do so. The author adds many arabic words such as "iftar" which means breaking of the fast and "hijab" which means a veil that covers the hair. She ties in Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims in which they fast until sunset, with the story very successfully because it is very relatable. I enjoyed reading this story because I started fasting at a young age and sometimes I would want to break my fast in order to have lunch with my friends, but I fought it and in the end I was proud that I was able to fast every day during Ramadan. The author also adds an Author's Note in which she describes Ramadan and the significance behind it.
March 29, 2022
'A Party in Ramadan' is about a girl named Leena who wants to go to a party that lands on the same day as the start of Ramadan. Her mother informed her that she wouldn't be able to eat or drink anything at the party. Leena assured her that she would be able to do it. It was a bit difficult for Leena because she was running around with her friends and she became thirsty and tired. She also felt a bit sadden when she wasn't able to have any birthday cake. This book did a wonderful depiction of what it's like to follow the Muslim faith at such a young age. This book teaches children about some of the aspects of Ramadan and what it may be like for children who celebrate it. Although it was hard for Leena, she pushed through it and felt rewarded and grateful for the blessings that God gave her. I also really loved how the book incorporated characters who weren't Islamic and had them be understanding and respectful of their faith and practices. Illustration wise, I really liked how Leena and her family were depicted. When Leena and her mom were at home, they didn't wear their hijabs, but once they went out in public, they wore their hijabs. The other characters never said anything about it or ask them thousands of questions about it which I thought was amazing. This showed children that hijabs are a big part of the Muslim faith.
April 2, 2022
I really love this book! The book tells a story of how a Muslim girl experiences her fasting day when she entered a party at her friend's house. That's a big challenge for her because she can't drink or eat during the day even if her friend serves chocolate in the house. Although it's a hard time for her, she still persists to do it. And at last her friends and her family spend a wonderful night together. It's a very warm story because everyone in the story is warm and firm. The story shows us how the Muslim culture is respected by outsiders and how the Muslim experience their own culture. The book is an example for people who have a different culture to learn respect.
April 3, 2022
What a great book that introduces the culture surrounding Ramadan and its significance to the reader. In the book the main character Leena commits to fasting for Ramadan. But because she lives in America she finds herself challenged by how little Ramadan is accepted in America. And most of her friends get to eat whatever they want, while she was still fasting. This story portrays perseverance, a will to embrace your past and what makes us special. Also, for knowing almost nothing about Ramadan this book did a great job presenting the information that would be relevant to have to know.
April 1, 2022
This was a really good book providing information about Ramadan for a child and experiencing the challenges that can come with it when those around don't also celebrate Ramadan. The development of the main character in this book emphasized the beauty and joy of adhering to your traditions and beliefs and that others can respect it too and traditions can be shared. This book would be really good for young children who occasionally need a reminder about the sacrificed they make and that challenges can pay off.
March 18, 2018
Mobin-Uddin, Asma A Party in Ramadan, illustrated by Laura Jacobson. PICTURE BOOK. Boyds Mills Press (Highlights), 2009. $8. 9781629798479
Leena is a young Muslim girl. She has decided to try fasting for Ramadan for the first time, but just for one day, not the entire month. At the end of a long day without food and water, her family will break their fast with prayers and feast. But Leena has been invited to a birthday party, will she be able to hold to her convictions? Features large illustrations filled with warm light.
This book is wonderful way to bring the concept of fasting to life. It also has a community message of acceptance and friendship. The illustrations are warm and cozy and large enough to share with a group of students learning about Ramadan. Could also be used for a family with children deciding if they are ready to fast for the first time.
EL (K-3), EL – ADVISABLE. Stephanie, Elementary School Librarian & Author
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
Leena is a young Muslim girl. She has decided to try fasting for Ramadan for the first time, but just for one day, not the entire month. At the end of a long day without food and water, her family will break their fast with prayers and feast. But Leena has been invited to a birthday party, will she be able to hold to her convictions? Features large illustrations filled with warm light.
This book is wonderful way to bring the concept of fasting to life. It also has a community message of acceptance and friendship. The illustrations are warm and cozy and large enough to share with a group of students learning about Ramadan. Could also be used for a family with children deciding if they are ready to fast for the first time.
EL (K-3), EL – ADVISABLE. Stephanie, Elementary School Librarian & Author
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
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April 17, 2012This book is about a young Muslim girl, Leena, who plans to fast during the month of Ramadan. She is invited to a friend's birthday party that happens to fall on the first day of Ramadan. Leena decides to go to her friend Julia's party and not eat or drink anything. However, Leena becomes frustrated while at the party, questioning to herself why this had to be so hard for her. Readers are exposed to many different traditions of Muslim culture, such as Ramadan, the hijab Leena wore, and the Maghrib prayerthat her family said after sunset. Children also learn about the importance behind Ramadan, and how this tradition helped Leena appreciate all of the things in her life and be thankful for them. This book allows readers to not only see the traditions of Muslim culture, but to see how this culture may have traditions that are foreign to or completely different from those of their friends.
September 29, 2012
In this fictional narrative, Leena, who is about to fast for Ramadan for the very first time, is invited to a friend's birthday party. She chooses to go anyway and just not eat anything. She learns it is hard to fast when everyone else is eating. In the end though, fasting has made her more grateful for the things she gets at the end of the day.
As a teacher I would use this book to teach descriptive language (ex. "Leena put a spoonful of pudding into her mouth and savored its thick chocolate flavor.")
The author, who is also Muslim, paints a very realistic picture of what it's like to be a young girl who is different but still being included. The illustrator also does a fantastic job of having beautiful and realistic looking pictures of young girls at a birthday party and how it must be to finally get to eat that piece of birthday cake at the end of the day!
As a teacher I would use this book to teach descriptive language (ex. "Leena put a spoonful of pudding into her mouth and savored its thick chocolate flavor.")
The author, who is also Muslim, paints a very realistic picture of what it's like to be a young girl who is different but still being included. The illustrator also does a fantastic job of having beautiful and realistic looking pictures of young girls at a birthday party and how it must be to finally get to eat that piece of birthday cake at the end of the day!
April 6, 2017
My daughter and I both enjoyed this story about a young girl, Leena, being torn between fasting during Ramadan and attending a non-Muslim friend's birthday party. While her mother did allow her to attend the party, it was clearly a difficult sacrifice to not be able to fully participate. As a mother, I especially loved the end of the story where after Leena's fast was broken and she had her dinner, her friend that had the birthday party came over with her mother and brought birthday cake to share.
I am a homeschool mom and I read this book to my 7-year-old when we were studying Muhammad and Islam. It gave a great insight into the customs and holiday of Ramadan. My daughter said she "really liked it", so we gave it a 4-star rating.
I am a homeschool mom and I read this book to my 7-year-old when we were studying Muhammad and Islam. It gave a great insight into the customs and holiday of Ramadan. My daughter said she "really liked it", so we gave it a 4-star rating.
June 24, 2016
Although Leena is too young to fast during Ramadan, she is eager to fast on day when her aunt will be visiting. Unfortunately, this day is also the day of one of her friend's birthday party. Leena is successful in fasting, although it is difficult. Her friends learn a little about why Muslim's fast and two of her non-Muslim friends and their families come to her home in the evening to celebrate the iftar dinner after sundown.
The Author's Note at the end of the book explains why Muslims celebrate Ramadan. An outstanding simple explanation of the wearing of the hijab is in the Author's Note as well.
The Author's Note at the end of the book explains why Muslims celebrate Ramadan. An outstanding simple explanation of the wearing of the hijab is in the Author's Note as well.
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January 17, 2017I liked that this story was about Ramadan without just being an explanation of what Ramadan is -- the protagonist, Leena, is a Muslim girl in the USA who is young enough to be practice-fasting and gets invited to a non-Muslim friend's birthday party for the day she would be fasting, and the story goes through her and her mother's decision-making process around how to handle that, her experience of the party itself, and the iftar (breaking the fast) that followed.
The story was engaging and realistic.
And there's an Author's Note at the back with more information.
The story was engaging and realistic.
And there's an Author's Note at the back with more information.
September 26, 2010
Leena is excited to observe Ramadan traditions...but she also wants to celebrate her friend’s birthday. Though fasting all day is difficult, Leena shows self control as her friends have cake and drink lemonade. At the end of the day she returns home for iftar, the meal to break the day’s fast, and thinks about the importance of fasting and how it is done to please God. Pastel pencil drawings complement the story's tone very well. Expressive characters' faces. Recommended.
February 14, 2014
A Party in Ramadan tells the story about a Muslim girl named Leena. Leena has a dilemma between a fast religious festival and attending a party with all her friends where none are Muslim and area able to enjoy the food festivities. Leena struggles with her desire to enjoy the food and to continue fasting until the iftar feast later in the evening. Self control is explored with struggles of desire through out the story.
June 7, 2016
A Party in Ramadan (2009) by Asma Mobin-Uddin and lovely illustration by Laura Jacobsen. I have seen this dilemma in classroom yearly and I'm impress of the determination Muslim children have to fast during the holy days of Ramadan. In the story, Leena faces a dilemma: she has promised to fast for the first Friday of Ramadan but she has received an invitation to a classmate's birthday party. What do you think she is going to do?
October 12, 2017
When I saw this book as a choice I was so excited. I completely loved this book. I went to Africa for a volunteer trip this summer and I happened to go in the middle of Ramadan. I was able to relate to this book very well as I fast for a day to emerge myself fully into their culture. This book shows the meaning behind a culture that some people may not fully understand. The pictures and the story line was awesome.
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September 23, 2012A Party in Ramadan tells the story of a young Muslim girl named Leena. As the day of her friend’s birthday party approaches, she realizes that she will be fasting for Ramadan. Leena learns many powerful lessons as she does her best to enjoy the party while abstaining from cake, lemonade, and even water.
December 26, 2009
I could relate to this book really well in remembering the days at school when we had a party and I was fasting! The story highlights well the struggles and satisfaction in keeping a fast in the Muslim tradition.
December 18, 2012
Shows a difficult side of fasting through the eyes of a young girl.
May 5, 2013
Cute story with wonderful illustrations about a girl participating in Ramadan with her family. Positive themes of cultural diversity and celebration.
September 19, 2014
This book really seemed to resonate with my 6 year, and help her understand fasting a lot better.
August 12, 2017
I really thought this book did a great job at explaining Ramadan to children and I like the Author's Note at the end that explains when women were a hijab.
November 22, 2024
1. A Party in Ramadan" by Asma Mobin-Uddin is a beautifully illustrated children's book best suited for ages 6-9.
2. The story follows a young Muslim girl named Leena, who is invited to a birthday party during Ramadan, a month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Torn between wanting to join her friends and adhering to her religious practices, Leena decides to attend the party while maintaining her fast. Throughout the book, Leena learns about the value of self-discipline, the essence of Ramadan, and the joy of sharing her culture with her friends.
3. I selected this book for the library because it offers children an opportunity to learn about Ramadan and encourages respect for cultural traditions different from their own. It's an engaging way to foster empathy and promote diversity in the classroom. For my lesson plan for this book, I would start with a read-aloud session to engage students, followed by a discussion on the significance of Ramadan and why Leena's decision is important. We would then explore the concept of fasting and its similarities and differences in other cultures. Additionally, I would organize an activity where students can share personal or family traditions, helping them appreciate cultural diversity in their own lives.
2. The story follows a young Muslim girl named Leena, who is invited to a birthday party during Ramadan, a month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Torn between wanting to join her friends and adhering to her religious practices, Leena decides to attend the party while maintaining her fast. Throughout the book, Leena learns about the value of self-discipline, the essence of Ramadan, and the joy of sharing her culture with her friends.
3. I selected this book for the library because it offers children an opportunity to learn about Ramadan and encourages respect for cultural traditions different from their own. It's an engaging way to foster empathy and promote diversity in the classroom. For my lesson plan for this book, I would start with a read-aloud session to engage students, followed by a discussion on the significance of Ramadan and why Leena's decision is important. We would then explore the concept of fasting and its similarities and differences in other cultures. Additionally, I would organize an activity where students can share personal or family traditions, helping them appreciate cultural diversity in their own lives.
May 22, 2022
Lovely illustrations. Good story for muslim children and non-muslim children.
The only problem I have is where the author describes Leena stroking the pony's shiny, soft...SKIN. Ponies are typically covered in hair. The skin is under the hair. Oops. I should be a proofreader.
The only problem I have is where the author describes Leena stroking the pony's shiny, soft...SKIN. Ponies are typically covered in hair. The skin is under the hair. Oops. I should be a proofreader.
May 12, 2021
Really sweet sweet story.
November 19, 2023
Made me miss Ramadan sm
February 10, 2020
Leena is invited to a birthday party, but it is a fast day for Ramadan. The story follows Leena through her day as she goes to the party and still is able to keep her fast. The lovely illustrations are warmly drawn.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews