By Reem Faruqi, Illustrated by Lea Lyon, Tilbury House Publishers, Paperback, 32 pages
Lailah's Lunchbox is a gentle introduction to Ramadan, giving human faces to a religious tradition that may be unfamiliar to other children.
Lailah is in a new school in a new country, thousands of miles from her old home, and missing her old friends. When Ramadan begins, she is excited that she is finally old enough to participate in the fasting but worried that her classmates won't understand why she doesn't join them in the lunchroom. Lailah solves her problem with help from the school librarian and her teacher and in doing so learns that she can make new friends who respect her beliefs.
About the author:
Reem Faruqi is the ALA Notable author of Lailah's Lunchbox, Amira's Picture Day, I Can Help, Golden Girl, and Unsettled, which is loosely based on Reem's own story. Of Pakistani descent, Reem immigrated to Peachtree City, Georgia, in the United States from the United Arab Emirates when she was thirteen years old. Reem is also a teacher and photographer who loves to doodle. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and three daughters.
