This is an incredible tale of two friends. On the surface, they have different beliefs - one is Jewish and one is Muslim. But deep down, the two women are there for each other during good and hard times. They show that friendship can transcend traditional, societal divisions. ( )

This is the story of two friends, one Jewish and one Muslim, who work together and share their resources. During a drought, each one gives food to the other with no thought for herself. The book is adapted from a folk tale that was said to have both Arab and Jewish origins. ( )

“A book of wisdom with so much that is taking place within our country today, a story like this needs to be read.” I loved the author build on their friendship. A tale of two girls that are friends, but have different religions. Throughout the story their differences are addressed, but neither seemed to care and it didn’t build a wedge between their friendship. They would great each others by saying “peace” in their native languages. The one thing they had in common was dates. When the harvest did not produced many they each worried if the other had enough to eat. Without out knowledge of the others doing, they placed dates on each others porches. Eventually they became aware. This is a story I believe to be great for all ages. It shows how “diversity among friends.” ( )

Claire Leaman
Reading Log #3

I liked the book Yaffa and Fatima Shalom, Salaam it focused on two different women. In the book, it showed the differences between two religions.

The first reason I liked the book is because of the illustrations. The children’s book had two women, Yaffa and Fatima who practice two different religions and at the end they finally share a meal and hug. In the book, the illustrations portrayed the message very well, Yaffa was colored in blue and Fatima was colored in red, but when they were together on the same page the colors were mixed. For example, one of the pages they are collecting dates and Yaffa was colored in blue, but since they picked “together” her basket was red. Fatima was colored in red, but her basket was blue. The illustrations show the colors mixed together to portray the unity of friendship which is one of the reasons why I liked the book.

Another reason I liked the book is the writing. I liked how the writing was organized and each page bounced back and forth to compare Fatima and Yaffa. For example, “Yaffa would read from her siddur in the morning”. “Fatima would read from her Qur’an in the morning” (Williams). In the book, the writing compared both women in the story and then at the end of the book it used words like two friends or together to show friendship. The big idea of the story was to show readers that regardless of different appearances or beliefs people can still relate and be friends, but also appreciate people for who they are. ( )

I loved this story for various reasons. This book promotes friendship, acceptance, and equality among individuals, despite their differences. More specifically, their religious differences. The book did a nice job of telling a story about two female characters. Although the main characters weren’t children like in many children’s books, they’re still very relatable and realistic every-day people. The illustrations truly enhanced the story through their use of red and blue colors to draw attention to Yaffa and Fatima, their religious clothing, and various items or individuals in both of their lives. The illustrations were side by side to show a comparison of aspects of both of the characters lives. One image showed Yaffa and Fatima praying. Although, Yaffa read from the Siddur and Fatima read from the Qur’an, both girls prayed at a table, with flowers in a vase, and a window open. This side by side comparison throughout the story continued to show how two different individuals aren’t really so different at all. This pushes readers to think about difficult topics like rising tensions between Judaism and Islam in the middle east, as well as the harsh treatment of Muslims in the U.S.A, thus making the story that much more believable. The writing of the story was very efficient and tied into the illustrations by explaining the comparisons that were depicted in the form of images. Without the writing, the reader wouldn’t understand the specific religious terms within the lives of the characters. ( )