Ramadan Mubarak to our Muslim whānau

Kia ora kids! We know some of you might like to know more about Ramadan.. or some of you might not even know what Ramadan is. Luckily you are in the right place. Libraries are great places to learn about different religions, cultures and important celebrations that happen all over the world, including in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

What is Islam?

Ramadan and Eid are important events in the religion called Islam. People who follow Islam are called Muslims. There are about 1.9 billion (!) Muslim people all over the world. We think you will agree that is a lot of people – its roughly a quarter of the Earth’s total population!

Why is it good to learn about Islam?

A local Muslim family celebrating Eid al-Fitr at Newtown Library

As the world comes together and people mix more and more, it’s good to learn about religions and cultures that maybe different to your own. You may be Muslim yourself, have a Muslim friend, or classmate, or you may not know any Muslims. But we can all learn more about Islam. Like many religions, Islam has lots of ancient wisdom and practices that help its followers to be peaceful and kind people.

Ramadan is one of the most sacred times of the year for Muslims, it is a time when people remember the prophet Muhammed who received the first verses of the holy book the Qur’an. Ramadan lasts for 1 month and is a time when people fast, which means they do not drink or eat from sunrise until sunset, every single day for 4 weeks! In the evening they break the fast with a special meal called the Iftar and visit family and friends.

Why? Not eating anything means that you get to practice not getting everything you want. It can be very difficult to go without food and water, so it helps you to develop a strong mind. It helps Muslims to focus on family, kindness and helping others. Most importantly Ramadan is a time spent being quiet and reflecting on Allah (God).

At the end of Ramadan the fast is broken with a big celebration called Eid al-Fitr. Eid is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”.

Celebration Collection

Just some of the fantastic books you can find in our Celebration Collection for Ramadan and Eid!

In the Library we have a new Celebration Collection for Ramadan and Eid. This means we have a lot of beautiful new books about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr that are available at this time of the year.

As part of this special collection, we have over 60 books about Ramadan and Eid written by Muslim authors, as well as many books with Muslim characters. These books are for kids of all ages, from babies all the way up to intermediate-aged readers.

Here are some you may like to read:

Children’s books about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr

The proudest blue : a story of hijab and family / Muhammad, Ibtihaj
“Faizah relates how she feels on the first day her sister, sixth-grader Asiya, wears a hijab to school.” (Catalogue)

In my mosque / Yuksel, M. O.
“A picture book featuring culturally rich artwork celebrates the joys, rituals, and traditions that are practiced in mosques throughout the world, and includes a glossary and information about many historical and significant mosques.” (Catalogue)

Aya and the butterfly / Salama, Maysoon
“Aya and her grandad grow swan plants in their garden. Dedicated to the children and whānau of the Aotearoa New Zealand Muslim community, whose lives were changed forever on 15 March 2019.” (Catalogue)

Once upon an Eid : stories of hope and joy by 15 Muslim voices
“Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it’s waking up to the sound of frying samosas and simmering pistachio kheer, maybe it’s the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it’s the gift giving and holiday parties to come that day. Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Like the moon loves the sky / Khan, Hena
“Illustrations and prose inspired by the Quran celebrate a mother’s love and hopes for her child.” (Catalogue)

Sadiq / Nuurali, Siman (series)
“When Sadiq’s father leaves on a business trip, he worries he’ll miss his baba too much. But Baba has a story for Sadiq: the story of the Desert Star. Learning about Baba’s passion for the stars sparks Sadiq’s interest in outer space. But can Sadiq find others who are willing to help him start the space club of his dreams?” (Catalogue entry for Sadiq and the Desert Star)

Planet Omar / Mian, Zanib (series)
“Welcome, readers, to the imaginative brain of Omar! You might not know me yet, but once you open the pages of this book you’ll laugh so hard that snot will come out of your nose (plus you might meet a dragon and a zombie – what more could you want?). My parents decided it would be a good idea to move house AND move me to a new school at the same time. As if I didn’t have a hard enough time staying out of trouble at home, now I’ve also got to try and make new friends. […] The only good thing is that Eid’s just around the corner which means a feast of all my favourite food (YAY) and presents (DOUBLE YAY).” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Community languages

Please note: We also have books in different community languages about Islam, Ramadan and Eid, including Arabic, Farsi, Somali and Bahasa Malaysia.

Please do come into our libraries for some quiet time and ask us about anything you may need help with.

1001 inventions and awesome facts from Muslim Civilisation

The Muslim faith is in the news a lot these days; this book will give a different perspective on what Muslims have contributed to the world civilisation . While much of Europe was still in the Dark Ages, Muslims had started making great leaps in medicine, astronomy, cartography and the decorative arts. For example, the first atlas was completed by Al-Idrisi in 1154. It showed most of North Africa, Asia and Europe. A 10th century Muslim surgeon, Al-Zahrawi, is considered to be “the father of modern surgery.” He completed a book called Kitab al-Tasrif in the year 1000, which was a major influence on the development of medicine all over the world. The first example of female surgeons was found in a later Muslim book on medicine. This is an extremely interesting book that has something to teach everyone.

What’s for lunch?How schoolchildren eat around the world

Not every kid in the world goes to school with vegemite sammies and a packet of crisps! This book not only shows what different cultures feed kids at lunch (the French meal looks particularly yummy!) but contains important information about the social context and ecological cost of what they’re eating. It also talks about different movements in the world to make sure that everyone gets enough healthy food to eat. It’s also a valuable eye opener for those who think that ham sandwiches are the worst thing you can get in your lunch box.

Crafts from the past

This is a great series of books that looks at the crafts of different ancient cultures. But they will also teach you how the Romans, the Greeks, the Ancient Indians, the Aztecs and the Ancient Egyptians worked, played, ate, what they believed in and how they entertained themselves. They’re more than simple craft books (although the projects are really interesting and relatively simple to make) they are excellent resources for your history project on the ancient world. Or just to enjoy learning something new about the different cultures of the past.

World atlas of dinosaurs

Taking step further back into the world’s history, this book will guide you through which dinosaurs lived where and in what sort of habitat. New Zealand, for example, has more marine fossils, because large parts of it were still underwater during the time of the dinosaurs. It also discusses significant sites where many dinosaur fossils have been found. It’s not a dry or boring book; there’s lots of awesome illustrations and fascinating facts to keep you reading.

How to change the world with a ball of string

“History makes it look as though everyone knew what they were doing all along. In fact, it wasn’t like that at all. Stuff happened by accident or had the opposite result from what was intended…” This is a great book for those who like history but may not like the gore of the horrible histories books. It’s just as interesting, as it talks about all the odd connections or coincidences or actions that may seem improbable but had an enormous effect on civilisation. For example, did you know that the Black Death made life a lot better for the surviving peasants? There were so few left that Lords had to pay them to work in the fields. Wages and the standard of living got a little better, but this event shaped the modern economic system. Other intriguing sections include “Lose an empire…over a cup of tea,” and my personal favourite, “Base a philosophy on beans.” This is definitely worth a read if you’re interested in history.

I wonder why Columbus crossed the Ocean

This is a great book for younger readers on the same subject: the whys and whats and hows of the history of exploration. From the earliest explorers to the space race, this book will give you a good basic understanding of how people explored the world around them. It’s not just about Western explorers, either: people mentioned include the Arab traveller, Ibin Battuta who’s journey lasted 24 years and the amazing Chinese explorer Zheng He.

muslim world

Ramadan Mubarak!