Bilal Cooks Daal

This book by @aishacs and @salaamreads is absolutely wonderful!!⠀ ⠀ Bilal loves Daal ( a warm creamy lentil soup made in Pakistan and other South Asian countries). He tells his friends all about it, and all about how it requires a lot of patience to make. ⠀ They come inside his house (my favorite part is when they take off their shoes- a must in almost all Arab/desi households!😉)⠀ ⠀ As they look at the lentils, and smell the unique spices, Bilal’s friends start wondering if the soup will taste “okay”, and they mention it looks weird. Bilal gets nervous that his friends won’t like it. This is such a relatable theme to all diverse kids who get worried about their own food and if others will find it yummy/tasty or “different”.⠀ ⠀ The kids play outside until its time for the Daal to be eaten (a long, loooong time). And after a few final steps with the help of Abu, the daal is ready to eat and share with kids. It is pretty awesome that the dad is the one cooking with the kids, as it shows how many awesome dads are good in the kitchen and cook dinner for their families! (My uncle makes some of the yummiest food I know, and so its nice to see this shown in a picture book instead of it always being a mom in the kitchen) ⠀ Daal is hard to make, and needs a lot of time, but its worth it in the end! All the kids gather to eat and it is awesome seeing the diverse mix of kids all eating and smiling together. And Bilal teaches those reading the book that patience is a beautiful quality, with lovely results. ⠀ A daal recipe at the end concludes the book and it is absolutely lovely and as heart-warming as a cup of warm soup!⠀ ⠀ Though this isn’t necessarily “islamic” it does include beautiful values like patience, family love, and community!⠀ ⠀ One of my favorite parts was also the color and appearance of yellow everywhere. Yellow is the color of sunshine and warmth, and the illustrations by @foxville_art are spot on and perfect for this story!⠀ ⠀ link: https://www.amazon.com/Bilal-Cooks-Daal-Aisha-Saeed/dp/1534418105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2T6VDCMMVA7O0&keywords=bilal+cooks+daal&qid=1576694279&sprefix=Bilal+cod%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1

price: 17 usd

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