Fawzia Gilani-Williams, illustrated by Proiti Roy,
Nabeel's New Pants: an Eid Tale
Marshall Cavendish, 2010.

Ages 4-8

Just before the start of Eid, the celebration marking the end of Ramadan, Nabeel the shoemaker buys gifts for his wife (a burqa), mother (a dupatta), and daughter (bangles). He also buys a new pair of pants for himself, but they are four fingers too long. Nabeel's wife is too busy with preparations for Eid to shorten them, as are his mother and daughter. So Nabeel shortens them himself. Then his wife reconsiders--Nabeel is so thoughtful, it's the least she can do. His mother comes to the same conclusion, and so does his daughter. On Eid, Nabeel puts on his pants to go to mosque with his family and gets a very big--or rather short!--surprise. Fawzia Gilani-Williams's warm, funny retelling seamlessly incorporates Arabic words and information about the Muslim faith and Eid into the narrative, while Proiti Roy's appealing, clean-lined India ink and goache illustrations include engaging details.

Megan Schliesman
September 2010