The Gift of Eid by Shifa Saltagi Safadi illustrayed by Aaliya Jaleel
With heartfelt words and large two-page spread illustrations, this beautiful book shares a mother and daughter finding the perfect Eid gift for one another while bringing the reader into the Souq Al-Hamidiyeh, before sending them off to Masjid Al-Umawi for a warm hug. A retelling of the classic, A Gift of the Magi, the story poignantly presents threads of love, gifts, loss, and Eid to fill the reader with joy, peace, and gratitude. I’m admittedly very bias, as a close friend of the author, but this beautiful book doesn’t need lip service or marketing, it will appeal to all readers in all settings, and be cherished and asked for, over and over again, all throughout the year. Alhumdulillah.
The book starts with Yasmine and her mama entering the souq through the archway, and Yasmine remembering her father and her imagining the circles in the ceiling to be twinkling stars. He is no longer with them, the magic is gone and money is tight now, but with liras jingling in her pocket, Yasmine is determined to find an Eid gift for her mother that will make her smile.
Yasmine looks around the shops as her mother counts out liras to buy za’atar, and tries to find something cheaper than sfeeha at the bakery. She finally knows what to get her mother, but it is more lira than she has. With determination and selflessness she makes a decision to get her mama the perfect gift.
The process separates the two, and when they reunite at the masjid for maghrib salat, it isn’t the gifts themselves, but rather what they mean, that make the laughter, tears, and love overflow.
I love the emotional depth the book conveys so deftly, never explaining or pulling the reader out of the story, thus allowing the connection to linger long after the book is closed, a rare treat in a picture book.
