Ismat's Eid

Through humor and warmth, this story builds cultural awareness by introducing children to traditions around the celebration of Eid

Ismat's Eid is a crisp adaptation of a delightful Turkish tale. Ismat the shoemaker is a happy, contented sort and on the occasion of Eid, decides to buy his family special gifts. He is persuaded by the shopkeeper to buy a pair of trousers for himself but there is only the one last pair on the shelves, and it’s too long. Long trousers can always be shortened, can’t they?So Ismat takes his gifts home. Eid arrives, and with it comes a shock and a surprise.

To be able to laugh and to be willing to adjust: these little life-affirming qualities are highlighted with affection and detail as text and pictures come together seamlessly in this story replete with cultural resonances.

* Being an adaptation of a Turkish tale can promote discussion on the universality of human experiences
* To be able to laugh and to be willing to adjust – these little life-affirming qualities are highlighted with affection
* Textures, detail and bold colors visually capture the essence of this funny, heartwarming story with all its cultural resonances
* A "Wordbird Book" in which unfamiliar concepts are explained by little birds on the pages

Fawzia Gilani-Williams is a British scholar of Islamic children's literature. She is also an author of children's literature as "mirror books", an approach to writing and storytelling that reflects visibility for readers in story.