About This Book:
*Review Contributed By Adrien Carter, Staff Reviewer*
Celebrating Eid: Nylah’s Way
Nylah is a neighborhood cat, and she is making her rounds to all of the homes on her street, but things don’t seem the same. All of the families that usually play with Nylah are all too busy creating decorations, making food, trying on clothes, and putting henna on their hands. Nylah keeps being told that soon they will have time for her, and that moment comes the next day as the community comes together to celebrate Eid, and there is plenty of time for playing with Nylah.
What I Liked: This book opens by introducing you to Nylah the cat, who only wants to play with all of the neighborhood families, but they all seem too busy for her. This book then goes through the various ways in which families prepare for Eid, and what these preparations look like to a cat.
The illustrations in this book are vibrant and realistic. The addition of the cat makes this book fun and silly, as Nylah just gets into everything and makes a mess. The expressions on the children’s faces shift as Nylah is introduced into the scene, showing that she brings joy into each of the families that she visits. The children are all various skin tones, of various abilities, and the families are diverse as well, showcasing the diversity of Muslims.
The book closes with a letter to the reader explaining the author’s experiences with Eid and Ramadan. The author explains that Eid might look different than the one that is portrayed in this book, and how everyone’s celebration of Eid is different depending on where they are in the world.
Final Verdict: Eid for Nylah is a cute story told through the perspective of the neighborhood cat, and is a great way to introduce young children to the celebration of Eid. The humor infused throughout this book captures your attention as you need to know just what kinds of shenanigans Nylah will get into next.
