![An Eid Story: Husna and the Eid Party by Fawzia Gilani-Williams illustrated by Kulthum Burgess](https://islamicschoollibrarian.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/img_3309-1.jpg?w=113)
An Eid Story: Husna and the Eid Party by Fawzia Gilani-Williams illustrated by Kulthum Burgess
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This 27 page book is old, published in 2007, and one that I kept an eye out for on occasion since reviewing a similar early chapter book by the same author, The Lost Ring, that I found in a public library in 2016. Somehow it found its way to me in 2024, and I’m reviewing it because it has been a while since I’ve indulged in older books that shaped the foundation of Muslim literary representation so many years ago. It is the epitome of Islamic fiction and what Islamic fiction looked like when I started teaching. It has a Muslim protagonist, with a universal stress, framed in Islamic acts, perspectives, information, and morals. It is unapologetic, it is at time preachy, and while the writing isn’t remarkable, an engaging story is laid out with numerous lessons along the way. You may not want to rush out and purchase this book, but if you have it on your shelf, it would be worth pulling out, dusting off, and sharing with a child. At times the details feel a little dated, but there is a timelessness to stresses with friends, being left out, assuming the worst, and wanting to be included. This book will offer a chance to be seen in the text and illustrations as Husna waits to be invited to her friend’s Eid party. The book does not specify if it is Eid al-Fitr of Eid al-Adha, but it really isn’t impactful on the story, as it simply sets the time, mood, and draws all the threads together.
SYNOPSIS:
It is the week after Eid and students are back at their Islamic school, Husna has lots of friends, but Maryam is her favorite. While on the playground, someone asks Maryam where the party is going to be, and she responds, “probably at the house.” Excited Husna waits for her invitation, that unfortunately never comes.
WHY I LIKE IT:
Even though the book has a happy ending and is based on a misunderstanding, the feelings are very real. I remember feeling left out, I’ve seen my own kids and students feel it, and that the book is a snapshot of that feeling from a Muslim perspective, really makes it hit home. Husna makes dua in sujud at Maghrib and Fajr that she will be invited, conversations begin with As-Salamu ‘Alaikum and end with Barak Allahfi-ki, homework is learning Hadith and memorizing ayats, jumah is prayed, and every page is filled with Islam.
FLAGS:
None
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
The book is an early reader, a text heavy one at that, but none-the-less meant for ages seven and up. I can see it being read today in small groups in an Islamic school or if you have a young one who is perhaps feeling something similar. You might have to explain invitations in the mail, or calling on a house phone, but it still has relevance.