The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story by Aya Khalil

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story by Aya Khalil Kara Forde Khalil, Aya The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story; illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh. Ottaviano/Little, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780316319331 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 4-8 yrs When Teita finally arrives from Egypt on the night before Eid, young Zain is eager to help her bake a special cookie called ka’ak to share with his classmates. As Zain unpacks Teita’s suitcase and finds various ingredients needed for making the sweet treats—ghee, honey, and dates—Teita explains that the traditional sweets are as ancient as the pharaohs, with recipes found in the Egyptian pyramids. Zain has never made ka’ak before, and he wants them to be perfect to impress his teacher and friends at school. His expectations, however, add pressure to the delicate process of baking and decorating, and Zain grows frustrated until Teita reminds him that patience is beautiful. With an exuberant color palette dominated by teal, magenta, and orange, Kheinyeh’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: “Plop! Plop!” and “Swish! Swish!” The narrative focuses more on the family’s baking than the religious celebration of Eid, but un-italicized cultural terms and Arabic phrases are smoothly mixed into the story. End matter includes an overview of the Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, a descriptive timeline of the history of ka’ak, a note about the author’s personal experiences growing up as one of the only Muslims in a midwestern American town, and a recipe for ka’ak, preserved within the author’s family. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois