Alexis York LumbardReseñas

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Hackers? Check. Edge of your seatness? Check. Didn’t want it to end? Check. An amazing story of one who fights for her rights and fights back to save her family. Salma’s detective skills were amazingly written. The scenes at school, when Salma was being bullied, not just by students but by educators and administrators had me squirming and wanting to slap these people for treating her so badly, just because of her religion. To point fingers without understanding and knowing the facts angered me. The love story between Salma and Amir was one of true love, not a typical teenager romance. Definitely a solid read for YA.

I've been looking forward to reading Everyone Prays, as I appreciate any book that helps kids to understand the similarities between different religions and that expands their understanding of the world. And Everyone Prays does that...to an extent.

The illustrations do indeed show people all around the world, of all different religions, praying in their own ways. Unfortunately, the text accompanying the illustrations is somewhat simplistic. I was hoping for more information about each scene along the way. Instead, all the information on religions and the different scenes in the back is crammed into a text-heavy two-page spread at the end of the book. Yet there were some illustrated pages that had large amounts of white space. Surely a bit more information, even just labels as to the locations or religions, could have been fit throughout the book?

All in all, Everyone Prays shows children what you'd expect, everyone praying, but I would only recommend it for young children, who will mainly want to look at the pictures and won't mind the simplicity and lack of information. For older kids, I'd recommend books with more in-depth information.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley.

Sufi, Muslim, Islam, Poetry, Allegory, Birds, God, Journey

The Gift of Ramadan

I Picked Up This Book Because: I wanted to learn about Ramadan.

Media Type: Digital
Source: CCP Library
Dates Read: 4/12/21
Stars: 4.5 Stars

The Story:

A short and sweet bedtime tale about Ramadan and the celebration of it in one family. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. The information is clear, concise and easy to understand.

The Random Thoughts:½

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Good
Recommend: Yes
Level: High School

This wasn't the type of book I thought it would be (more realistic) so when it took a high stakes thrilling turn I was shocked. I am not entirely sure how to process it. It reads much more like an action movie with secret coupes, undercover, and international escapes. It does deal with the all too real discrimination and Islamophobia that American Muslims have to deal with through microaggressions and outright discrimination. However, it then turns the stakes up with a secret plot by their Christian extremist neighbors to frame them for a bombing. There is psychological and technological thriller aspects and the pace of the book moves pretty quickly.

As Ramadan draws near, young Sophia decides that she would like to participate in the fast with her parents and grandmother. Getting up early and having sahoor - the pre-dawn, pre-fast breakfast - she approaches her first day with enthusiasm, only to find it harder than she thought it would be to maintain her fast. When her little brother wanders by with delicious cookies, all bets are off. Has Sophia ruined everything, or is Ramadan about more than just fasting...?

I appreciated author Rabiah York Lumbard's message about helping others in The Gift of Ramadan, which pairs an engaging family story with appealing illustrations depicting a biracial family. Sophia's realization that she can still get that "sparkling" feeling by stepping in to make iftar - the communal dinner that Muslims eat to break their fast during Ramadan, once the sun sets - when her grandmother is too tired, illustrates the "gift" of the title here. Recommended to anyone looking for new, lighthearted picture-books for Ramadan.

Top 100 Favorite because:

The stylized artwork is breathtaking. I absolutely see the ancient Arabic artistic influences in in the intricate details of the animals, the people, and their clothes, the golds, the floating celestial figure. This version may be based upon an ancient fable but it (sadly) still is relevant today, with humanities penchant for pollution, wastefulness, and uncommon cruelty towards each other and animals. This tale strikes a cord in me. And Demi is not afraid to show the brutality among the beauty, with visuals of a starving beaten donkey, bloody slabs of meat from killing the previously living animals etc.

What a wonderful story with a great lesson. Alexis York Lumbard retells an old Native American legend in Pine and Winter Sparrow. Sparrow is hurt and cannot fly off with his family for the winter. He tries to find shelter in an oak tree, a maple tree, an elm tree, an aspen tree, but all of these trees send him on his way without so much as a rest. It is Pine who reaches out to Sparrow and offers him refuge. "If you don't mind my sticky branches and needle-sharp leaves, then all that I am and all that I have is yours." The Creator notes, "Those of you who have so much shared nothing. But the one who had so little shared everything." To reward Pine for his kindness to Sparrow, the Creator makes Pine green all year round. Beautiful illustrations round out this wonderful story.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Informs on many types of religions and what others believe compared to one's self.
Age: 4 - 8
Source: Pierce County Library

This is a beautiful rendition of the Conference of the Birds, the color ilustrations by Demi are beguiling. How to find the king is the quest and how it ends.½

Did you know that angels of all kinds are everywhere? “Some are big, some are tiny. They're all so bright and very shiny.” This lyrical, breezy, and nondenominational picture book introduces children and adults to a magical place which radiates warmth, love, and caring.

I love Native American stories and Alexis York Lumbard has done a wonderful job retelling the story of why Pine trees stay green all year in her children’s book, Pine and the Winter Sparrow.

Although little Sparrow is injured he remains positive and continues to sing his happy song daily as a tribute to the Creator. Because of his injury, Sparrow cannot fly south to warmer weather like his fellow birds, so he's left behind to find his own shelter from the cold and snowy winter.

As Sparrow goes from tree to tree - Oak, Maple, Elm, etc. - he's rudely rejected by each of them. Finally, Pine gives Sparrow the shelter he needs to get through the winter. Sparrow is so securely nestled within Pine’s boughs; he's fully healed by the time his friends and family return in spring. When the Creator hears how Pine allowed Sparrow to take shelter in his branches, and how rude the other trees were, he declares that from then on only Pine will remain green throughout the year.

I loved this book. The pictures are charming, colorful and are sure to capture the attention of children. Pine and the Winter Sparrow would be a wonderful book to share at nap time, circle time, bedtime or during reading time at the library. Teachers, parents, grandparents and caregivers should definitely include this book in their book collection.

Alexis York Lumbard retells an old Native American legend in Pine and Winter Sparrow. Sparrow is hurt and cannot fly off with his family for the winter. He tries to find shelter in an oak tree, a maple tree, an elm tree, an aspen tree, but all of these trees send him on his way with a cruel reproach. It is Pine who reaches out to Sparrow and offers him refuge. "If you don't mind my sticky branches and needle-sharp leaves, then all that I am and all that I have is yours." The Creator notes, "Those of you who have so much shared nothing. But the one who had so little shared everything." To reward Pine for his kindness to Sparrow, the Creator makes Pine evergreen. Oh my. I loved this little story of the willingness of a flawed creature to give despite its flaws. And with trees as main characters.

In a world where difference is all too often seen as threat, Everyone Prays, by Alexis York Lumbard, pulls aside the veil and reveals an important way in which we might all be the same. With bright illustrations to capture a small child’s attention, an astonishing level of authenticity and detail to intrigue older siblings too, and well-written explanations for the adults, this simple book has much more to offer than the average picture book. The text is rhythmic and clear. Together with images it invites questions and uncomplicated understanding, and welcomes readers to a wider world of shared spirituality where, indeed, everyone prays in their different ways.

From cathedral to mosque, from African plain to Temple in Myanmar, from baptism to coming of age, and fasting to washing, the illustrations are firmly anchored in honest depictions of faith around the world. Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and Dome of the Rock bring Jews, Christians and Muslims together in one two-page spread, while Buddhists and Hindus pray by the Ganges River.

A lovely appendix offers symbols and brief explanations of different faiths, together with detailed and fascinating descriptions of the illustrations. The bright pictures will make this a favorite book for small children. The text offers a valuable reading experience. And the combination is a pleasing book to share with family and friends, crossing cultural boundaries, inviting thought, and, calling us all to recognize the beauty of prayer.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and I offer my honest review. It’s beautiful!

0 stars

A children's book to show that many religions pray.

This book had potential that I hope to find well executed someday. This book, however, was more of a list, that was lacking emotion, even in the artwork, and was missing many religions, like nature-based, or polytheistic religions. This book starts with: "Christians, Jews and Muslims all pray, and so do Hindus and Buddhists." It doesn't do anything informative or descriptive besides the labels, and stereotypical pictures, but includes a list in the back asking if you've ever wondered what "Jew" means and then defining it as: "A Jew is someone who follows Judaism, a 3,500 year-old religion based on the Torah, revealed to the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai. The holy book of the Jews is the Tanakh, which is made up of the Torah and other books of the Jewish prophets. A Jewish place of prayer is called a synagogue." As you can see this is not age appropriate, nor faith-informative, and so I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Illustrated by Demi. Excellent retelling for young children. Conquering one’s faults & practicing the virtues of humility, patience, courage.

Angels watching over us is the theme of this little gift book. Beautiful. And comforting.