Eid for Nylah by Nizrana Farook illustrated by Zelma Firdauzia
I have read this book dozens of times and I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. If you remove the title and second to last page and just READ the words, the book could be about any holiday that you might clean and decorate for, that would involve giving gifts, putting on henna, wearing new clothes, praying, and sharing food at. The illustrations imply that it is a Muslim holiday with about half the women in the pictures wearing hijab, and a few decor items that say Eid Mubarak in English and Arabic, but readers that are unaware or unfamiliar might not grasp that it is faith based at all, and the Author’s Note mentions, but doesn’t detail much about the religious significance either. During one reading, I felt it also could almost seem like a mystery, that the title just happens to ruin. The cat Nylah goes to different houses on the street seeing and hearing the tidying and banner hanging and gift wrapping occurring, but doesn’t know why no one has time for her, until the big reveal that it is Eid. I think for little non reading kids that actually might be my approach, to share the book without the title and back blurb and see if they can figure out why everyone is too busy to play with Nylah. I don’t know that it is tokenism, or that Islam is left out to make the book palatable for the Western gaze, I could be wrong though, I really just think this is the author’s style. Having read her chapter books that always center animals, feature community, and include Muslim names, I think this is just an extension of her lyrical writing in her debut picture book. The book would work for either Eid, but the backmatter is the author’s reflection on Ramadan and Eid al Fitr. I know I’m the minority that struggles with Islamic holiday books that leave out the Islam, so for those of you that do not find it disappointing, the book is sweet. Nylah is a cat that is welcome and known to the entire neighborhood, to come and go as she pleases, the age engaging illustrations complimented by the cadence and rhythm of the structure, lines, and diction are easy to read aloud to groups of all sizes, and hold the attention of 3 year old children and up.
The book starts with a family “wiping and scrubbing, tidying and sorting, everything in sight.” When no one has time to play with Nylah, she heads outside under the crescent moon, and goes next door to Bilal’s house, where he and his family are decorating. When she tries to play with the ribbon, she is once again told they are too busy to play, so she slips into Reem’s house where they are doing henna. This continues from one house to another until the next morning when her family all dressed wakes her up to go to the park with them for prayers and Nylah realizes it is Eid. Now the children are not too busy and everyone plays with Nylah.
Yeah, I know, taking a cat to Eid prayers sounds wild to me too, kids love imagining though what chaos might ensue. There is enough hinted at that Muslim families can find the clues and make the book more religious or holiday centered, but I wish it showed the cat seeing praying or reading Quran, hearing the athan or thikr, or something that would ground the book in Islam, but alas, it does not.
The book concludes with an Author’s Note and scanable QR Code for a free audio reading.