My First Ramadan

I liked this book as an introduction to Ramadan, but not as much as I liked *Ramadan Moon*. This one was better in that it gave more specific information about what happens during Ramadan, but there was something that felt a little 'teach-y' about it.

In viewing other works by the author, it appears as though she has an interest in writing about different cultures' special holidays, so I'm a little curious about her... I think there's a fine line between speaking ABOUT and speaking FOR another culture than one's own, and though this story is cute enough, it lacks a genuine excitement. It feels as though it's written by someone not Muslim. (I may be way off about that-- I'm not certain of how she identifies religiously, but something show more about the tone is different than Na'ima Robert and Shirin Adl's *Ramadan Moon*.) show less

This book is the story of how a young Muslim boy celebrates Ramadan for the first time. It explains factual information about the traditions and history of Ramadan. The theme of family, tradition, and religion is portrayed throughout the book. For example, the end reads, “All my relatives are there. We are happy that we have celebrated another Ramadan together.”
I liked this book for several reasons. I liked the boldness and simplicity of the illustrations. For example, the clear pictures on each page helped to explain the text in more detail, showing the clothing, food, and traditions. I also liked the fact that there was so much information explaining the meaning and history behind Ramadan. For example, the book tells of the new show more moon and when Ramadan begins, the religious reasons for the observance, and the specific traditions such as fasting and prayer. I also liked how the people of the Muslim faith were portrayed as all different nationalities. Although this was a simple book for young children, I felt like it was the most informational picture book I have read on the subject yet. show less

I really liked this book for its simplicity in pictures and literature. As a person who greatly values teaching children about other cultures, I feel that this book allows the learner at a very young age to be introduced to Ramadan as a religious holiday as well as giving Muslim children a chance to be represented.

This book would be good for primary students. This book is "My First Ramadan (My First Holiday)" written and illustrated by Karen Katz and published in 2007. This book tells the reader about the holiday of Ramadan in very easy words for children that have never heard about it to try and understand the basic elements of the holiday. I would definitely use this in my classroom to teach about ramadan, especially if there is someone in my classroom that celebrates it so that their culture and holidays feel represented in my classroom and so that the class understand why a classmate might be doing things differently than them.

I enjoyed this book and found it to be very informative. I myself do not know much about Muslim culture or their holiday, Ramadan. Firstly, I liked how the illustrations displayed important cultural information, such as traditional clothing, a mosque, and the Koran. Secondly, I enjoyed the structure of the written work. When new words were introduced to the reader, the way the word is pronounced was in parentheses shortly after. This makes an unfamiliar word easier for the reader when the sounds are written out. The main idea of this book was display a few different parts of the Muslim holiday, Ramadan.

My First Ramadan is a sweet look at the most sacred holiday of the Muslim calendar. Through the eyes of a young boy who is fasting for the first time, we see how this sacred month-long holiday brings together families and communities around the world. This book is appropriate for children of Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds to educate them about Islam, a religion to which 1/7 of our world's population adheres.

I like this book because children would be able to learn a little bit more about a particular student in class who may be Islamic. It also opens up their eyes to other cultures and traditions. This book depicts a mother wearing a traditional head covering and it is important that children understand these cultural differences.