Some stories about Eid are very multicultural and diverse, but this anthology greatly surpasses that expectation with its genre-bending format. At some point, I went from reading a short story to reading a graphic novel with characters that I and my children can see themselves in. What I most admired was the ensemble's ability to relate over food. For children who are new to fasting, Eid is akin to Thanksgiving. The smells and the tastes are so visceral. The power of food bonded two cousins from different cultures, gave a mother the will to fight, brought together an unlikely alliance and made the holiday that much sweeter. But the stories are not just about food, they are about finding the meaning beneath the celebrations: giving, kindness, love, and faith. Luckily, it didn't come off as "preachy" either. I think there is something here for everyone, including the reader who isn't Muslim. Holidays are a great way to introduce another culture or religion. My recommendation for the adult reader is to read this book along with your child or as a family in preparation of Ramadan.

I thought this was such a great collection of short stories. I feel like I learned a lot from reading the book as well. It led me to researching certain words and terms used in the stories. I like this book and the perspective it offers. Great YA read!

I enjoyed many of the stories in this book. They were touching, fun, and gave insight into the different meanings this holiday has to Muslims around the world. However, the quality varied story to story, and they were quite repetitive as a whole: you could see the ending from a mile off. In keeping with the holiday story genre, they were usually very cheesy. I think this book would be best enjoyed by picking a few individual stores to read with a class or reading group, or spreading them out over the Eid seasons.

This is a light and enjoyable book to read! Whether you're young or adult this is for you.. The book has different stories from around the world and we explore different cultures and customs. It was written beautifully!!

When I was younger, one of my favorite parts of the Jewish holidays were all of the books and stories that went along with them. Hanukkah was one holiday with endless books that I enjoyed, but one of my favorites was While the Candles Burn: Eight Stories for Hanukkah by Barbara Diamond Goldin. I think I liked this book so much because it had eight stories, each one different and each one representing a different Jewish experience. Once Upon an Eid, edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed, includes 15 stories of one of the most joyous celebrations of the year for Muslims around the world. It reminded me of reading While the Candles Burn because it shares many stories of a diverse community of people all celebrating the same holiday in different ways.

One thing that makes Once Upon an Eid even more special is that each story is written by a different author, meaning that readers are instantly introduced to fifteen storytellers who have written many books of their own. The characters live all around the world and reflect the true cultural and ethnic diversity of Islam. One story by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow explores the tension that Hawa faces when she travels with her family to New York to visit her father’s Guinean family members. Hawa and her mother do not speak Mandinka or French, or at least very little, which has led to them feeling left out in the past. However, Eid and it’s colorful celebrations bring the family together.

In another piece, by N.H. Senzai, Bassem is in Greece after a dangerous escape from Syria. The hunger he experiences after a day of fasting during Ramadan feels different than the hunger of war. But even surrounded by family, Bassem can’t help but think of his father who died fighting in Syria. It is by preparing an elaborate celebration for Eid that Bassem finds joy in such difficult times.

It isn’t just Muslim children who will benefit from reading this book, though. While they will be reminded that there are millions of people around the world celebrating this holiday, children who are not of this faith will learn more about Islam and its beautiful traditions. That is definitely something to celebrate.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I feel like this book will expose readers to many fantastic authors and a culture that is not seen too much in middle grade literature. Each story was beautifully told. I also liked how it was balanced with a comic and stories in verse. I learned more about the Muslim culture by reading this as well. I look forward to book talking this with my students and using it in my 6th grade classroom in the future.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this text in exchange for an honest review.

I usually find it difficult to rate anthologies because the quality varies so much between stories, but I'm pleased to say that wasn't the case here. The fifteen authors who write these short stories about Eid effectively convey the challenges and struggles Muslim children might experience, especially during Ramadan (fasting when all one can think about is hunger, having to be generous when it isn't easy, celebrating when one's family is falling apart, or having recently converted and trying to fit into a new culture). They also, however, imbue each story with a sense of hope and the notion that, as Saeed and Ali note in their introduction, Eid evokes a "shared faith and shared joy at celebrating this festive day."

I would recommend this book to middle-grade readers who want to know more about Eid, Ramadan, or Islam in general--the authors are careful to define unfamiliar terms and introduce different cultural celebrations--as well as readers who want to see themselves represented in the books they read. This would be a great Eid present.

i cannot recommend this anthology enough!!! especially for my muslim friends, if you're able to, ABSOLUTELY read this during the end of ramadan/during the days of eid because it gave me the most wonderful, warm, happy, celebratory feelings

these stories are compelling and personal and so special, individually and all together

there is a page of illustrations introducing each story and i just LOVED that so much. in the ARC copy they weren't the final sketches (and most of them weren't finished) but from the ones i did see, they were absolutely beautiful and detailed and so creative i'm basically in love

An interesting collection of short stories, tied together by the theme of Eid. They are American based, so reflect a wide range of cultures, including Ghana, Syrian refugees and American converts. This was really interesting as I had never really thought how Eid is celebrated in America, although it makes the book slightly less useful for me in a UK school, as fewer of my children might relate to some of the stories. However, there was a nice mixture of nostalgic, happy and sad stories, each with a message of celebration. Could well be useful for older children 8+, learning about Eid around the world.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories about Eid. Some of the stories were funny, some a bit sad, and all hopeful! They were all well-written but showed different lives of Muslims. They showed newly converted Muslims, refugees, second generation immigrants, and more. This is a great collection to introduce an important holiday to millions of people around the world. Obviously you can read any of the stories you want but I would recommend reading them all.

Food, family, friends and faith combine in "Once Upon an Eid", taking the reader on a multicultural trip around the world--and through the seasons--as Muslims celebrate Eid. Whether celebrating the end of Ramadan or the Feast of Sacrifice, there is plenty to look forward to and many different ways to celebrate. Special food--ranging from brownies and donuts to lontong and chicken biryani--as well as gifts, new clothes, parties and lots of love. Written by an amazing cast of Muslim voices, every single story is a delight! A definite must-by for librarians, but especially as an Eid present!

Ok I know very little about Eid apart from the little pieces of information I have picked up from various work colleagues over the year so for me this book was a fascinating read about what Eid means to different people and the different traditions related to the event across the world. This book is a great read to anyone that wants to know more about Eid.

A beautiful collection of stories filled with warmth, love, and joy. It is so important for kids to see themselves in what they read. Loved each and every story, and loved the mini-biographies of all of the authors at the end of the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for a copy to review!

Lovely short stories of an important holiday for Muslims but absolutely relatable as some traditions (and the family dynamics) are a universal theme.

Simply marvelous! I loved how each story was so distinct even with the similar theme and how there were so very many types of families represented in each story. This is a book that will connect with a lot of kids who need to see more people like them in stories, but it's also a wonderful window book for non-Muslim kids (and grownups!) to learn about Eid and the diverse families that celebrate it.

Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it’s waking up to the sound of frying samosas or the comfort of bean pie, maybe it’s the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it’s the gift-giving and holiday parties to come that day.

Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy. The anthology will also include a poem, graphic-novel chapter, and spot illustrations.- Goodreads

I did not convert to Islam until I was in my twenties. However, for years as a teen I identified as a Muslim as my parents were studying and taught my siblings what they learned. With that being said, I want to note that although I have never experienced the Muslim way of life as a teenager, I felt extremely connected to this book as an adult.

These stories are simple yet complicated and have an extreme depth of emotion. They are not only reflective but informative. Each author adds in information about Islam that I was extremely happy to see.

But what stood out to me in the most surprising and wonderful way was to see Black stories. What I mean by this is the first story within this novel is about a Bi-racial girl spending time with the African side of her family (this was written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow). Having this as the first story was powerful and intended as stories about Black Muslims are rarely heard. I appreciated it as well as seeing other Black authors within this book ( Candice Montgomery and Ashley Franklin).

Before writing this review, I sat and thought about what was my favorite story and it was Perfect by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Generous by Asmaa Hussein and Searching for Blue by N.H. Senzai. All the stories within this book were amazing but these three stood out. All the stories connected with a theme of well obviously about EID but about growth, love, and self-discovery. It flowed very well. 

Overall, there is nothing that I didn't love about this book and I am so happy I was able to read it. 

4 Pickles