Ismat's Eid
Illustrator: 
Proiti Roy
age group: 
5+ yrs
Number of pages: 
24
Publisher: 
Tulika
Themes:
value education humour festivals of India parents family Eid
Genre:
picture book, fiction
 

 

A simple yet delightful story woven around the festival of Eid.  Ismat, the shoemaker buys a pair of trousers for himself for the festival that is, "four fingers too long."

He requests the various members of his family to alter them for him, but as they are all busy, he decides to do it himself.  However, Ismat has underestimated the loving nature of his family.  When he tries out his trousers on the morning of the festival, he is in for a big shock. 

He howls, “Ohhhhh! Ahhhh! Ya Allah!” 

Children will love reading this gem of a story.  it is simple, humourous and heartwarming.  It teaches one to able to laugh and to adjust to life's quirky situations. 

The spirit of the festival of Eid and its celebration is also very effectively brought out both by the author and illustrator.

Well composed layout and clean and simple lines of the illustrations depicting the lifestyle of the family complement the story.  The attractive cover will entice a child to open the pages and read. 

A good read! In

This book is also available in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Gujarati, Bangla and Marathi

Reviewed by Shamim Padamsee