Once Upon an Eid - Edited by S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed - ★★★.¾

EDITORS: S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed

GENRE: OwnVoices Anthology.

PUBLICATION DATE: May 5, 2020.

RATING: 3.7 stars.

In a Nutshell: A fabulous OwnVoices middle-grade anthology with all stories connected to Eid in some way or the other. Excellent plots and characters and diversity. I loved how much it surprised me and taught me. Much, much recommended!

For a reading challenge I am participating in, I needed a book set around any festival. I knew for sure that I would not take a book connected to Christmas – I have already read plenty of them and I am tired of seeing Christmas books be more about parties and Santa and gifts than about prayer and church and community. So when I found this anthology, its beautiful cover, the classic “Once Upon A…” in a title and the joyous tagline won my heart. The content proved to be even better.

This collection of fifteen stories is OwnVoices in every way. Each contributing author, including the editors and the illustrator, is a practising Muslim, coming from a variety of ethnic and geographical backgrounds – USA, Australia, Jordan, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Mandinka, and more. This results in an intricate tapestry of stories that shows the wealth and diversity of Islamic cultures across the globe. (My heart did a little dance of joy when I saw that the two editors – S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed – are of Indian and Pakistani origin respectively. I love seeing a harmonious connection between our two nations.)

The introductory note by the editors is so informative! (I had no idea that there were Muslim communities in China and Argentina! Sadly, no authors/stories from these locations were a part of the book.) The editors rightly point out, "The customs, diverse cultural markers, and family traditions are “insider experiences” seen only within our own communities." It made me realise that I barely know anything about how Eid is celebrated, beyond the basic facts.

This book is a great way of getting an insider look at Eid preparations and celebrations. However, the stories aren’t just about the commercial aspects of the festivities such as food or clothes or gifts, though these also get their rightful place. There is so much about actual Eid herein – the meaning of the festival, the rituals associated with it, the two types of Eid, the need for and requirements of fasting during Ramadan. I appreciate how the content offered a complete look at all aspects of the festival – religious as well as celebratory. Writers of Christmas books ought to take a page from this approach.

The stories are aimed at middle-graders, and hence the main protagonist in each of the tales is of middle-grade age. Combine this with the fact that the book is set around a festival, and I expected the stories to be easy-going, happy tales full of celebrations. But many of the stories cover tougher events as well. Parental illness, refugee issues, death, financial troubles, divorce, accidents – these aren’t ordinary topics for a festive anthology. But as the tagline reminds us, the book contains “stories of hope and joy”. Even these sadder tales end on a note of hope, as they rightly should considering the age of the target audience.

I love how the stories don't compromise on the vocabulary. There's no "dumbing down" of words just to cater to the middle-grade crowd. However, with many Eid-related Arabic words such as ‘fajr’ and ‘suhoor’, there should have been a glossary at the end particularly for such terms.

Of the fifteen stories, two are written in verse and one is in comic format. The comic was next to impossible to read on the Kindle as the font was too small and the graphics couldn’t be zoomed into. Kindle for Web came to my rescue this once.

Every story comes with one full-page B&W illustration just before it begins. These graphics are excellent, capturing the main mood of the story perfectly. Kudos to the illustrator!

The book ends with a delicious acknowledgements section that is full of mentions of Eid delicacies (Loved this idea!), followed by the contributor bios. (I wish these bios had been placed immediately after the story instead of at the end.)

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the fifteen stories, six stories reached/crossed the 4-star mark. A majority of the remaining tales were clustered around 3-3.5 stars, with only two stories slipping below 3 stars. A highly satisfying performance! These were my top favourites:

🌛 Yusuf and the Great Big Brownie Mistake - Aisha Saeed: We already know that this story involves a Great Big Brownie Mistake. What makes it special is how the mistake is tackled. A beautiful story of sibling love combined with festive joy. Plus points for showing a young boy interested in baking and not one character has any gender-derogatory remark about it. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🌛 Kareem Means “Generous” - Asmaa Hussein: A lovely story about kindness and generosity. A bit too straightforward and sunshiney for cynical old me, but a great story for the right age group. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌛 Just Like Chest Armor - Candice Montgomery: A beautiful story about a girl who's all excited about getting to wear the hijab for the first time and doesn't understand why her mother is reluctant. While this story could have covered far more themes if written for older readers, its current content is perfect for middle graders. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🌛 Taste - Hanna Alkaf: A teen girl learns to make something special in the kitchen when her mother isn't around. Written in verse, so a bit of a challenge for me. Was 3.5 stars for the most way, but the ending won my heart. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌛 Not Only an Only - Huda Al-Marashi: Brilliant in every way – title, plot, characters, themes, insights, and ending. There's so much joy and hope and inclusiveness in this little tale. I'd love to read more by this Iraqi author! - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌛 Eid and Pink Bubble Gum, Insha’Allah - Randa Abdel-Fattah: The title lets you expect a fun story, and the content delivers on that promise perfectly. Loved this little tale of family chaos going on a road trip while fasting. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

All in all, I am glad this book entered my life. It taught me much about Eid, as well as offered me insights into several cultures. Though meant for middle-graders, this book can also work for teens.

Much recommended to readers who would love a culturally inclusive and accurate OwnVoices anthology full of Eid hope and joy.

3.7 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each story.

This was a library read.

Eid Mubarak to all those who celebrate it today! 🌙✨