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panda_incognito's review
3.0
I appreciate the effort at acknowledging an underrepresented group, but the text is clunky and the book tries to speak to the whole of the Arab experience without being nearly universal enough to achieve that. The book doesn't provide enough context for non-Arab readers to understand the significance of different words and cultural elements, and Arab readers won't necessarily relate to the content on all of the pages, particularly if they're not Muslim.
The book repeatedly introduces different holidays and experiences related to being Muslim, and there is no mention of religious diversity among Arabs until the author's note. The page about December mentions the character's classmates celebrating their holidays, but many Arabs celebrate Christmas for cultural and/or religious reasons. Ultimately, this book is too specific to speak to the whole range of what it means to be Arab, and I wish that the title and marketing indicated its narrower focus.
The book repeatedly introduces different holidays and experiences related to being Muslim, and there is no mention of religious diversity among Arabs until the author's note. The page about December mentions the character's classmates celebrating their holidays, but many Arabs celebrate Christmas for cultural and/or religious reasons. Ultimately, this book is too specific to speak to the whole range of what it means to be Arab, and I wish that the title and marketing indicated its narrower focus.
libraryrobin's review
3.0
A variety of Arab customs and traditions are presented by (American?) kids through the months of the calendar, emphasizing the importance of culture and family.
fernandie's review
3.0
Slightly confusing that the text is in first person but different spreads seem to be about different people.
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
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