Most people have heard of Ramadan and the holiday that follows it, Eid al-Fitr. But have you\u00a0ever\u00a0heard\u00a0of\u00a0Hajj and Eid al-Adha?\u00a0And how are they connected?\u00a0If you\u2019re not as familiar with these, you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n
For over two billion Muslims around the world, Hajj\u2014the annual pilgrimage to Mecca\u2014 and Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, are among the most\u00a0sacred\u00a0and joyful occasions of the year, marking devotion, community, and the spirit of giving. Yet for many readers, kids and adults alike, the depth and\u00a0meaning\u00a0of these traditions can be difficult to grasp from the outside.\u00a0Storytelling has always been one of the most powerful ways to bridge that distance, which is why we\u2019re so excited to share our picture books, Zamzam for Everyone<\/em>, and Sami\u2019s Special Gift: An Eid al-Adha Story<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Zamzam for Everyone<\/em> takes us into the experience of Hajj through a child\u2019s eyes. We see people from all over the world gathered\u00a0in one place, connected by faith, kindness, and small acts of generosity, like sharing water with a stranger. It\u2019s a beautiful reminder of how something simple can carry deep meaning.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n<\/p> Sami\u2019s Special Gift<\/em> brings us into Eid al-Adha through a more personal story. Sami is navigating the holiday while also grieving for his grandfather. As he learns about giving\u00a0and sacrifice, he finds a way to honor both his grandfather and others in need. The story opens space for conversations about loss, empathy, and what it really means to give.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n<\/p> So how are Hajj and Eid al-Adha connected? Just like Ramadan leads into Eid al-Fitr, Hajj leads into Eid al-Adha.<\/p>\n Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, an act of worship that many Muslims hope to complete at least once in their lifetime. Each year, millions of people travel to Mecca, retracing a story that goes back thousands of years to Prophet Abraham, his wife Hajar, and their son Ismail.<\/p>\n \n<\/p> Eid al-Adha comes at the end of this journey. It honors Prophet Abraham\u2019s willingness to make a great sacrifice out of love and devotion to God. When he was tested, and remained faithful, he was given a ram as a gift. This story is also shared in the Christian and Jewish faiths, and for Muslims, it\u2019s remembered through acts of giving, sharing, supporting others, and showing gratitude.<\/p>\n \n<\/p> And that\u2019s where these two books meet. Both stories invite readers to think about what it means to give, to share what we have, to care for others, and sometimes, to let go of something important. They also open the door to meaningful conversations.<\/p>\n Here are some classroom activities to try after reading the two books:<\/p>\n Writing prompts:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 What does it mean to give when it\u2019s hard?<\/p>\n \u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 How can we honor people we\u2019ve lost?<\/p>\n \u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 In what ways can small acts of kindness make a big difference?<\/p>\n \u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Write about your own holidays and traditions.\u00a0Describe what\u00a0is\u00a0similar and different\u00a0compared to the stories you\u2019ve read.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Classroom extensions:<\/strong><\/p>\n Service Projects\u2014 Brainstorm ways to support your community. For example, create care kits for the homeless, donate blankets to a shelter; write letters to nursing homes.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n You can find more\u00a0free\u00a0resources and activities on our website:\u00a0www.moyuksel.com<\/a>\u00a0and www.razeenareads.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Happy reading and\u00a0Eid Mubarak!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n<\/p> M.O. Yuksel is an author\u00a0and\u00a0educator whose award-winning children\u2019s books such as In My Mosque<\/em> bridge diverse cultural experiences through storytelling.\u00a0Her\u00a0books highlight little-known historical figures,\u00a0and illuminate Muslim traditions, inspiring readers of all ages.\u00a0Yuksel\u00a0was\u00a0born in T\u00fcrkiye\u00a0and\u00a0grew up\u00a0in\u00a0NYC. Her\u00a0multicultural experiences\u00a0shape the stories she tells,\u00a0and she\u00a0continues to contribute to the literary landscape by highlighting the beauty of cultural diversity and the importance of empathy and understanding.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Razeena Omar Gutta is an international children\u2019s book author known for her bright, playful, and joyful picture books. She has lived in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and now in Australia, and is an active member of her local community where she volunteers with people of all ages and cultures. These experiences have allowed her to explore different perspectives from around the globe. This, along with her desire to see books on shelves that she never had\u00a0growing\u00a0up, informs and guides her writing.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most people have heard of Ramadan and the holiday that follows it, Eid al-Fitr. But have you\u00a0ever\u00a0heard\u00a0of\u00a0Hajj and Eid al-Adha?\u00a0And how are they connected?\u00a0If you\u2019re not as familiar with these, you\u2019re not alone. For over two billion Muslims around the world, Hajj\u2014the annual pilgrimage to Mecca\u2014 and Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, are among […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6293"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}