Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story

I am a teacher of upper elementary students, and a few of my students have fasted during Ramadan. I wanted the other students to have a simple explanation of the fasting, and this book was perfect. I asked a student who honors this holiday to read it to the class and share her experience. She was so excited to have the opportunity. It led to a nice discussion of traditions that other cultures and religions have. I recommend this book.

Hands-down my favorite Ramadan story. The story centers around a little girl, Lailah, who moved from Abu Dhabi to Atlanta. She was finally old enough to fast during Ramadan but felt huge anxiety about explaining it to her classmates and teachers. It started slow, but once we got to the gripping conclusion, I was a mess of bubbling tears. My son, Kian, kept asking me why I was sad, and I had to reassure him I was happy. This is an essential book for little Muslim girls and boys over the age of 5. It explains Ramadan's purpose and the real-life emotions that many little children in the U.S.A feel during this time.

I have a student in my class who was fasting for Ramadan for the first time. They were very excited and I bought this book to help the other kids in the class understand what they were doing and why. This was the perfect book doing this!

I read the story to my daughter on the morning of April 18th, a morning many of us will remember with the Houston floods. Time had stopped in our household, schools were closed and the children sought extra outlets. And so I read the story, though admittedly I was distracted by the flooding, my own pending work deliverables and a unexpected day off schedule. Later that evening, as the waters abated and we readied for bed, my daughter asked me to reread the story. Odd, I thought. Didn’t we read this book just 10 hours earlier. “Ammi, please read it again.” And so I consented, knowing full well that I had not given it the attention it deserved in the first pass. This time many things caught my eye–the beautiful water colored illustrations, the anxiety of the little girl, but also the power to overcome and find solutions. As I read, I watched my daughter’s face. It was as though she was nodding, agreeing with each page, identifying with little Laila and the trials she faced. As I closed the book a second time in one very long, wet day, I realized just how much the story had helped and inspired my own little girl. Apart from giving this book to the local public library, we’ll also be sharing it with her 2nd grade class next week in the local public school. We’ll combine it with a simple Ramadan craft for the class. I pray that Laila’s Lunchbox reaches many and is of benefit, as it has been for us.

I got this book for my first grade classroom to teach them about Ramadan. My students loved it and I do too! Great way to introduce other cultures to kids.

I purchased this book as a gift for my granddaughter. Since she is only a 4 year old child who barely reads, my intention was to read it for her; therefore, I did so myself first to be better prepared and for curiosity about the book itself. I must say it was quite a delightful read, even for grandpas! Aside from it being such an interesting and very well written traditional classic with an introduction, body and conclusion, it was even more moving when I learned towards the end that it was based on the actual childhood story of the author herself. She simply, yet clearly, illustrated what a lot of the younger Muslim generations (and even some adults) go through in trying to explain to their fellow students (or co-workers) of other faiths about why they are not eating or even "just drinking water" with them during snack or lunch breaks.

This is a lovely book. It is relatable to children not only of the Muslim faith, but children from other faiths whose traditions do not follow the U.S. calender which is largely based on Christian holidays. I am reminded of a Jewish family living in rural Tn whose mama sent a note stating that the kids would be absent for some Jewish holiday. Those kids were the first known Jews. And really, at some point in our lives we are all different in some way. It is empowering to see a story about learning to talk about and handle differences and the emotions from those experiences.

I'm an ESL teacher. I bought this book near the end of Ramadan and shared it with two 5th grade classrooms that I push into. The best part of this book is that my Muslim students could see themselves in the experiences the main character was having. These kids became the experts and were able to share their own experiences and answer classmates questions that came up as a result of this read aloud! This book is a great mirror for Muslim kids and a great window for their classmates.