Looking for the Eid Moon by Sahtinay Abaza illustrated by Sandra Eide
The illustrations and sister bonding in this story are sweet, but it isn’t exciting, and doesn’t feel very Ramadan or Islamic rep or even very purposeful. I was really surprised that there wasn’t a craft activity or science tie in at the end, it seemed to be heading in that direction seeing as Eid joy, iftar, and anything religious are all completely absent. The plot really is just the title, “looking for the Eid moon.” The text feels abrupt, it doesn’t flow, and feels othering. “For years, the moon marked important Muslim holidays and dates. And Eid wouldn’t begin until the crescent moon was spotted.” Numerous communities still rely on local sighting and have hilal committees marking all moon phases and months. This framing of it being an antiquated practice, feels off. The sisters are young, but Sara is old enough “to know the crescent moon is faint and hard to see,” yet she doesn’t even acknowledge iftar time, they don’t pray maghrib. The complete removal of Islam makes looking for the Eid moon seem like they could just be looking for Mars or a comet. It says they are excited for an Eid party, but clearly not enough to be excited it is Eid the next day, they are simply sad that they didn’t see the moon. I’ve read the book a few times, and I truly can’t make it make sense, and I don’t understand how silver paint glows, shouldn’t it be glow in the dark paint? Sigh.
The book starts with Sara looking at her Eid dress saying she is excited for the Eid party, but first she has something to do. She packs her flashlight and binoculars and grabs her little sister Lulu and the head out to spot the Eid moon. On their way out they pass mom hanging decorations, and she wishes them well.
In the backyard the girls watch the sky change colors and the sky is cloudy. As it gets darker, the girls get a little scared, but mom finds them and tells them the moon has been spotted elsewhere. The girls are sad and Sara comes up with a way to cheer up Lulu. SPOILER she paints a ball silver, fills it with coins, and writes a note that it is from the Eid Moon, claiming this is a moon rock. Lulu proclaims it the “best Eid ever.”
The Author’s note tells of the family’s tradition to hide and find moon rooks with coins in them, in what sounds akin to an Easter egg hunt. It also erroneously says that Eid al Fitr is a three day holiday. I don’t get the connection to the moon being brave and a source of light to refugees in the book, if that was the author’s intent, to show the moon as hope “when times are bleak and dark,” I’m sorry but the message was not conveyed.
