Review: Magid Fasts for Ramadan

Matthews, Mary. Magid Fasts for Ramadan. New York, 1996.

Magid Fasts for Ramadan is a small chapter book about a young boy in modern day Egypt who secretly tries to fast for Ramadan like the rest of his family. He is too young to fast for Ramadan, but wants to be an obedient Muslim like his relatives. Magid hides that he is fasting by asking to eat his meals outside, and then feeding them to the geese. Due to him fasting, he gets very hungry during iftar, which is the time at night that Muslims are allowed to eat during Ramadan. He is eventually caught by his sister, who tells her parents. The parents are disappointed, but know that in the future he will be a very obedient Muslim. The illustrations that go along with this story are very modern and give the feel of an everyday Muslim family that you would see today.
The author Mary Mattews was born in England and is not Muslim; however she has traveled to the Middle East, has an M.A. in Religion and studies Arabic languages. Aside over using the word “obedient” which can come off has too harsh or too strict, this book does a good job of representing Arabs through literature. The story explains how it can be hard for Muslims in other countries that are not Muslim countries to follow Ramadan. Through this the reader might be more inclined to empathize with Muslims in the future who are trying to strictly follow Ramadan. The book is also very informative of common terms and practices that are useful to know about the religion Islam while simultaneously entertaining the reader through the young Magid who makes decisions that all young boys regardless of background would probably make. The family is very loving and faithful to their religion, without being overbearing. I think this is a good representation of practicing Muslims as a loving and caring people.