Book Description
for Time to Pray by Maha Addasi and Ned Gannon
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
“Come to pray, come to pray,” calls the muezzin in the middle of the night, waking young Yasmin during her stay with her grandmother in the Middle East. It’s a call that resonates with Yasmin, and her grandmother, Teta, helps her begin her spiritual practice. She takes Yasmin to the fabric store and purchases cloth for prayer clothes, helps her select a special prayer rug, and finally demonstrates how to wash before praying. Then Yasmin makes her first trip to the mosque to pray with Teta. The phrase “time to pray” takes on several meanings, not only reflecting Yasmin’s start of her intentional spiritual practice but also the call of the muezzin . Author Maha Addasi bilingual (English/Arabic) text informs readers about the Fard prayers (required prayers for Muslims) through a loving grandmother-granddaughter story while maintaining a realistic, childlike perspective. Ned Gannon’s colorful oil artwork is full of geometric designs and warm, gentle tones. (Ages 6–10)
CCBC Choices 2011. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2011. Used with permission.