Celebrate Ramadan: Book Ideas for Holidays Around the World

Bringing knowledge of diverse people and cultures to the classroom is so important. Teaching about celebrations and holidays around the world and in your classrooms is one way to do that!

There are so many fascinating holidays celebrated around the world, like Ramadan. If you want to teach your students about the rich and meaningful traditions of this holiday, check out the list below for five excellent books to read aloud!

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1. Ramadan Around the World

This book, narrated by the Ramadan moon, takes us on a journey around the world to discover what Ramadan celebrations look like in families and communities around the globe. The rich traditions, customs, clothing, food, and spiritual practices are depicted in the beautiful illustrations. This book will captivate your students!

2. Khadijah and Cat

Khadijah and Cat are searching for the moon to find out if it is the start of Ramadan. They soon find it and hurry to spread the news to their neighbors. Everyone quickly starts decorating, celebrating, and preparing traditional food.  This is a sweet story packed with tons of information about Ramadan!

3. Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story

Lailah is excited that she can now fast during Ramadan with her family since she recently turned 10. Having just moved to a new city, far from her Muslim family in Abu Dhabi, she struggles to find a way to explain to her new classmates why she is fasting. Luckily her teacher and the school librarian are there to help!

4. Ramadan Moon

In this book, Ramadan is explained through the eyes of a young Muslim girl. She explains how the timing depends on the moon, as well as the religious rituals, fasting, and traditional good deeds. The illustrations are especially beautiful collages, made with fabric and paper. What an engaging way to introduce Ramadan to your students!

5. Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors

Specifically designed to introduce Ramadan to young children and those who are not familiar with the holiday, this book uses colors to explain different elements of Islamic life. From the gold dome of the mosque to the red prayer rug, students will learn the special meaning of these items and colors. A glossary is also included, which provides succinct definitions for unknown terms.

• 21 Tradition Passages & Comprehension Questions
• Country Maps with Map Skills Questions
• World Map and Flag Pages
• Scrapbook Pages to Record Important Cultural Facts
• Graphic Organizers
• World Map
• Easy to Assign Digital Activities
• Print Versions for In Classroom Teaching

• “Lots of good information!! I love how everything is included and there is no extra work for me. I am excited to use this for my social studies classes during the month of December – this will keep them learning and on task all month!!” – Kristen
• “I am using this with in-class and my Zoomers. It is a great resource for geography and the kids are enjoying learning about other countries and their holiday traditions. Thank you for your hard work!” – Jen
• “Love this! New holiday activity to use every year! Everything is there and you can easily use it for reading, writing, and social studies activities to give more time to going deeper into how countries celebrate Christmas and winter holidays. Even I was learning new things!” – Chelsea

Thanks so much for stopping by!