Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I love featuring brand-new books – and when they are written by a kid-lit friend I’ve actually gotten to know in person, that’s the icing on the cake. I’m so thrilled to share this one with you!

ZAHRA’S BLESSING: A RAMADAN STORY

Written by Shirin Shamsi

Illustrated by Manal Mirza

Published by Barefoot Books (2022)

Ages: 5-8

Themes: Gratitude, kindness, Ramadan

Synopsis: From Amazon:
Zahra hugs her cherished teddy bear and prays that Ramadan will bring her a longed-for sister. When her bear subsequently goes missing, Zahra finds herself grappling with intense feelings of loss. Over the next few weeks, as she volunteers with her mother at a local shelter for asylum seekers, Zahra befriends a displaced child, resulting in a newfound sense of gratitude and an unexpected Ramadan blessing.

Why I love this book:
1. An important story about helping others and being grateful for what you have.
2. Lyrical text draws the reader in and helps us feel comfortable in the setting.
3. Glorious illustrations engage, educate, and inspire.

And here’s a little bit about author Shirin:
Shirin was born and raised in the UK. Having lived on three continents, she views herself as a global citizen and now spends her time sharing stories with children of the world. She has raised six children- three human and three feline, and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband. 

Her books include the middle-grade novel, Laila and the sands of Time (Clear Fork Publishing, 2019) 
Her upcoming books include:

ZAHRA’S BLESSING (Barefoot Books, Spring 2022) Illustrator, Manal Mirza https://bit.ly/3sBMXbi

THE MOON FROM DEHRADUN (Atheneum, Fall 2022) Illustrator, Tarun Lak
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Moon-from-Dehradun/Shirin-Shamsi/9781665906791

Pronouns: she/her
www.ShirinShamsi.com
http://www. ShirinsBooks.com
@ShirinsBooks

RELATED ACTIVTIES:

MOON SIGHTING BINOCULARS

Find instructions for the super cool Moon Sighting Binoculars and many other Ramadan crafts here: https://www.momjunction.com/articles/ramadan-eid-crafts-for-kids_00377808/

Thank you all for stopping by. I’m always grateful for your presence and your comments. And for sharing the post on social media so that we can spread the word about beautiful books.
I’ve been distributing the #50PreciousWords prizes – I really appreciate all of the generous prize donors!! Next week I hope to complete that task because I fly to Chicago on Sunday. And on April 1st, I’ll be hopping over to Bookery, my independent bookstore, to help deliver over 400 children’s books to three local schools! Thank you to all of the #50PreciousWords participants who purchased them!
Please take care and have a beautiful weekend.