Our Favorite Day of the Year
By Diondra K. Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Warm celebration of various cultures' holidays, traditions.
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What's the Story?
OUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR transports readers to Ms. Gupta's classroom on the first day of school. As students are weary about making new friends, she shares that they will have special show and tell presentations throughout the year, where they will each share their favorite day of the year with the class. Musa, Moisés, Mo, and Kevin are seemingly different but form a strong friendship as they each share special traditions from their family's celebrations. As the year progresses they teach their classmates about Eid al-Fitr, Rosh Hashanah, Las Posadas, and Pi Day.
Is It Any Good?
This is a charming celebration of kids' appreciation for their favorite holidays. Our Favorite Day of the Year is rich in diversity and themes of friendship and compassion. The book's portrayal of kids' interest in learning from one another and forming genuine connections is important and timely. Rahele Jomepour Bell's bright illustrations are captivating and realistically display the characters' emotions. It's a lovely read for children and adults alike.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Our Favorite Day of the Year highlights lots of holidays. What's your favorite holiday in the book? Why? Do you, or anyone you know celebrate this holiday?
What's your favorite day of the year? Name three special things you like to do on this day?
Ms. Gupta's favorite day of the year is the first day of school. Do you like the first day of school? Why or why not?
Do you wish your classroom could have "Favorite Day of the Year" celebrations? Which holidays would you like to learn more about? Why?
Book Details
- Author: A.E. Ali
- Illustrator: Rahele Jomepour Bell
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Cooking and Baking , Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , Holidays
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Salaam Reads
- Publication date: June 30, 2020
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: April 5, 2022
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