The Night Before Eid

A Muslim Family Story

Contributors

By Aya Khalil

Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Formats and Prices

Price

$18.99

Price

$23.99 CAD

Format

Hardcover

Format:

Hardcover $18.99 $23.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around March 7, 2023. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

★ "A beautiful story of joy, tradition, and family."―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Celebrate the end of Ramadan with this luminous Muslim family story about faith, history, and delicious foods.

On the night before Eid, it’s finally time to make special sweet treats: Teita’s famous ka’ak. Zain eagerly unpacks the ingredients from his grandmother’s bulky suitcase: ghee from Khalo Karim, dates from Amo Girgis, and honey from Tant Tayseer—precious flavors all the way from Egypt. Together with Mama and Teita, Zain follows his family’s recipe and brings to life Eid songs and prayers, pharaonic history, and the melodies and tastes of his Egyptian heritage This Muslim holiday story, featuring a delicious ka’ak recipe, is a satisfying addition to a joyful and expansive Eid.

A CCBC Children’s Choice Best Book of the Year

Genre:

  • Praise for The Night Before Eid:
    A CCBC Children’s Choice Best Book of the Year
     
    ★ "Khalil’s descriptive prose is filled with culturally specific details, including the use of Egyptian Arabic dialect and references to poetry, music, and food. Equally textured are Kheiriyeh’s illustrations, done in acrylic, oil, ink, spray paint, crayon, and pencil on watercolor paper. A beautiful story of joy, tradition, and family."
    Kirkus Reviews
  • "Not only is there lots to learn from this tale but there is also plenty for young ones to see; the illustrations are done in cozy hues of pink, teal, orange, and black by award-winning illustrator Kheiriyeh. Children will delight in spying Zain’s mischievous black-and-white cat, who is a vital part of the action. A solid and worthwhile purchase."
    School Library Journal
  • "Kheiriyeh’s mixed media illustrations use dappled backgrounds and crayon-textured lines to capture the essence of youthful excitement and anticipation. Rhythmic onomatopoeia in the text mimics the sensory pleasures of baking."
    BCCB

On Sale
Mar 7, 2023
Page Count
40 pages
ISBN-13
9780316319331

Aya Khalil

About the Author

Aya Khalil is the award-winning author of The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story, which is an NCTE’s Charlotte Huck Award Recommended Book and the winner of the Arab American Book Award, among other honors. Aya holds a master’s degree in education and works as a freelance journalist, whose articles have been featured in The Huffington Post and Brit & Co., among other publications. She immigrated from Egypt to the United States when she was young and currently lives with her partner and three children in Northwest Ohio. Aya invites you to visit her online at: ayakhalil.com

Rashin Kheiriyeh was born in Khorramshahr, Iran. She received a PhD in illustration and an MFA in graphic design from Alzahra University in Tehran. She has published over eighty books and created illustrations for The New York Times. Rashin received the 2021 Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year Award and was a 2017 Maurice Sendak Fellow. She won the New Horizon Award at the Bologna Book Fair. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and lives in Washington, DC. Rashin invites you to visit her online at rashinart.com

Learn more about this author