Lailah's Lunchbox
by Reem Faruqi
Fasting. New school. She finds the words.
you want your child to understand what it feels like to need to explain who you are before you've even been asked
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Lailah has moved to a new school in America and it's Ramadan — she's fasting, but she doesn't know how to explain that to her classmates or her teacher, who has never heard of Ramadan. Faruqi's picture book stays entirely inside Lailah's experience: the hunger, the pride, the longing to be understood, the moment when she finally finds the words. Lea Lyon's illustrations are warm and specific. The book gives young children one true thing: Muslim American kids have been navigating this explanation their whole lives, and they do it with courage, not complaint.
