Lailah's Lunchbox
Lailah's Lunchbox
Book Title: Lailah’s Lunchbox
Book Author: Reem Faruqi
Book Illustrator: Lea Lyon
This book addresses: Ramadan, cultural differences
Potentially Tricky Vocabulary:
Sehri: the meal that Muslims eat before they start their fasting each day during Ramadan
Fast: to wait to eat food
Thrilled: very excited
Iftar: the meal that Muslims eat to end their fasting each day during Ramadan
Ishrat - [ ih sh - r uh t ]
Abu Dhabi - AhhBOO DahhBEE
Iftar - /ˈifˌtär/
Questions to ask the student before reading:
What is your favorite holiday to celebrate?
Have you ever heard of Ramadan?
Historical context to give before reading:
Ramadan is a very special Muslim holiday. The holiday lasts an entire month and includes acts of service, or good deeds, as well as spending time with family and lots of prayer. Once they are old enough, people celebrating this holiday will fast from sunrise to sunset. Families will wake up before sunrise each day to eat Sehri, and come together again each night for Iftar, the breaking of their day-long fast. Iftar is also a time for neighbors to share food with one another and strengthen their community.
(The questions to ask the student and historical content above are interconnected. The historical context is typically going to be a supplement to what your student might not know. Some students may already be knowledgeable about a subject, others may not know much yet. Pay attention to what your student already knows and share the historical context accordingly.)
While reading:
A few times throughout the book (about every 4 pages) ask a short comprehension question to check that your student is following the story. Ex.) Why do you think Lialah left the cafeteria?
After reading:
Why do you think that Lailah hid her mom’s note to her teacher at first?
How did the adults in Lailah’s life support her participating in Ramadan for the first time? (parents, teacher, librarian)
Read author’s note
Follow up activity (time permitting):
Have your student describe their favorite holiday that they celebrate to you. Make sure they share some of the traditions that come with that holiday. They will then either draw an image of that holiday with a caption or write a short (very short) story about that holiday.
All definitions were adapted by Karina Connolly from the Merriam Webster online dictionary.