Ramadan on Rahma Road: A Recipe Storybook

In Rahma Road, people from all over the world are preparing food to share as the community gathers for iftar. Both story and cook book, ‘Ramadan on Rahma Road’ offers a peek into each family’s kitchen alongside the recipe that they are preparing.

A real sense of joy and anticipation are created as readers are introduced to delicious food from Nigeria, Malaysia, Egypt and Morocco amongst other places, sharing the excitement of those who prepare them and finding out about the relationships of those making them. The story celebrates not only the festival, but the diversity of the Muslim community around the world.

Bright, colourful illustrations, lively text and tempting recipes combine to make this a very special book. Additional information and further recipes for drinks, main dishes and sweets are included at the end along with photos and messages from the team who created the book. This is a real must-have for developing understanding of the customs of Ramadan, celebrating community joy and sharing and tasting a feast of food!

Ramadan on Rahma Road

Razeena Omar Gutta with recipes by Faaiza Osman and illustrated by Atieh Sohrabi

Barefoot Books ISBN: 978-8888593653

Celebrate with Me!

This wonderful book is a real celebration of creative people and their favourite festivals. Each of the twenty five contributors explains why the festival they have chosen is special to them, and how they celebrate it. Alongside this information, they offer some of the recipes and activities they use to help the celebrations. It is an absolute joy to read and is sure to inspire families- and schools- to both understand and enjoy many celebrations from across the world!

A comprehensive contents page lays out a year of celebrations, starting with the New Year and closing with New Year’s Eve. Following this, there are pages devoted to ‘Birthdays around the World’, ‘More Fun With Festivals’ and mini biographies, including social media and website links, about those who have contributed to the book. This makes locating a particular celebration very easy as well as telling the reader who the section is written by and why they enjoy the occasion so much. Learning about festivals from those who actually take part in them is so important as it offers a genuine feel for the occasion and a real understanding of the significance of these events in peoples’ lives. It also enables children to see themselves and their cultures, traditions and religious beliefs appreciated, one alongside another, each valued, each celebrated.

The book includes an excellent mixture of well known and lesser known events. Each section is presented across a colourful, double page spread with plenty of illustrations. Baker and food justice advocate, Michael Platt, shares information about Juneteenth which commemorates the 19th June 1865, the date when news that slavery had been outlawed reached the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. He offers a recipe for a watermelon and tomato salad and shows how to make a Juneteenth flag, explaining the significance of the imagery and colours used. Dow Phumiruk, children’s author and illustrator, shares her joy for celebrating Songkran, the Thai New Year. She has chosen to share a recipe for a delicious Thai-style Congee (a type of savoury, soupy porridge made from rice) and explains how to ask your elders for blessings. Architect and artist, Nick Wood, shares his excitement for Bonfire Night, explaining how to make ‘Marshmallow Sparkers’ and how to build a bonfire- a crafty one, if not a real one!

The illustrations capture the joy of sharing these special occasions perfectly, making the book as visually appealing as the activities are inspiring. The book is an absolutely essential addition to libraries, book corners and homes. Laura Gladwin, the book’s editor, will be joining us at this year’s Federation of Children’s Book Groups’ Conference and I can’t wait to learn more about how this gem of a book came about. I am sure that many book groups at a local level will be using some of these activities to inspire and celebrate with their members! An excellent resource and a pleasure to read!

Celebrate with Me! Recipes, Crafts and Holiday Fun from Around the World

Edited by Laura Gladwin, illustrated by Dawn M Cardona

Magic Cat ISBN: 978-1913520601