Alum’s Debut Book Is a Ramadan Story for Children
Noura’s Crescent Moon, the story of a young girl waiting to see the crescent moon that signals the end of Ramadan, is out April 16. “We need diverse authors,” author Zainab Khan says. Photo courtesy of Khan
Alum’s Debut Book Is a Ramadan Story for Children
Zainab Khan hopes readers see themselves in her picture book, Noura’s Crescent Moon
During her years as a schoolteacher, Zainab Khan always loved reading and telling stories to her students. But she struggled to find children’s books that accurately depicted her Muslim heritage and celebrated the traditions that were so meaningful to her.
“We need diverse authors,” Khan (CAS’97) says. Teaching elementary school students and preschoolers, “I realized that I really wanted to share empathy and love with the kids in my classroom. And then I realized that if I became a writer, I could reach a larger audience than just my classroom and hopefully bring stories that are needed for kids in our diverse community.”
Khan’s first book, Noura’s Crescent Moon (Candlewick Press, 2024), does just that.
The picture book, illustrated by Nabila Adani, is about a young Muslim girl celebrating Ramadan with her family. Noura is eager to try and spot the new crescent moon that kick-starts Eid ul-Fitr, or the festival of breaking the fast that marks the end of Ramadan. The book follows Noura and her parents’ preparations for their moon-sighting trip, as well as the traditions and celebrations integral to Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr.
As the book explains, the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar calendar, so every month begins with a new moon. That means Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, lasts either 29 or 30 days, based on whether the Eid moon is spotted after the sun sets on the 29th day. Moon-sighting excursions are a beloved and thrilling experience for Muslim families and communities around the world.
“I was really excited to share this aspect of Ramadan in my book, because I hadn’t seen it featured in any of the books out there yet,” Khan says. By writing about the tradition, “I hoped that children would see themselves in the story, as well as to teach children who are not Muslim about Islam and other interesting aspects of Islamic celebrations.”
Noura’s Crescent Moon comes out April 16, and Khan’s second book, Hana’s Hajj, is set to release from Candlewick in 2026.
Khan recently chatted with Bostonia about her path to writing and what she hopes her books mean to readers.
Q&A
with Zainab Khan
Bostonia: Congratulations on your first book. Can you talk about your journey from having an idea for a book to actually publishing one?
Khan: I was a really voracious reader as a child. I loved books because they helped me understand people better. But as I got older, I realized that the characters did not look like me. And I remembered this desire as a child to be someone besides myself, because that’s all I saw in books.
[Later], I was attending writing conferences and constantly hearing, “Tell your story, tell your story.” That never really stuck with me until my writing critique partner told me, “Your stories are needed. Write your story.” And I realized I needed to write what only I could write.
I had this big aha moment and sat down and wrote. It started out as more of a middle-grade chapter book. I then did way too many revisions to remember before my agent submitted it and Candlewick acquired it. We went through multiple revisions with them, too, which was great to see the editorial side: what makes a book marketable? What makes it shine? And seeing illustrator Nabila Adani work her magic on the pages was beautiful. So, that was it—lots and lots of revisions. If you’re wondering how many, I’ve lost count!
Bostonia: The book follows Noura on her first moon-sighting trip. Why did you focus on this particular aspect of Ramadan?
When I lived in the Bay Area, people would drive into the Oakland Hills to try and catch a glimpse of the crescent moon. This happens everywhere in the Muslim world. By writing about the Eid moon, I could touch on Ramadan, I could touch on fasting, and I could touch on iftar [the sunset meal that breaks the fast]. And of course, I could touch on the Eid ul-Fitr celebrations and share the joy that all children feel when they celebrate a holiday. That was my goal: for all children to see themselves in the book in some fashion or form.
Bostonia: Why is it so important for you to put diverse stories into the world of children’s literature?
I spent my childhood living in different parts of the world. At one point, my younger sister and two other kids and I were the only Muslim or brown kids in a school from pre-K to 12th grade. It was a really difficult place for me to navigate, because this school had never really seen diversity before. There was no real understanding of identity and inclusivity.
I think diverse books help children at an early age. If you get them while they’re young and their minds are still taking in so much, you can teach them essential values that become part of their core, like empathy, kindness, and inclusivity. And kids need to see themselves and be able to look at each other and see their peers as [fellow] humans. Trying to build those connections and bridges of friendship is important to me. When children can see themselves, be proud of their identities, and go emulate [what they read], my work is done.
Bostonia: What advice would you give someone trying to break into the children’s lit space?
Give yourself time. Give yourself space. Writing is a labor of love. We do it because we love children and we want to bring light to the world—at least, that’s the reason I do it. A lot of authors do it for the same reason; we do it because we want children to see themselves and to feel that they belong, which is really important for self-esteem and character development as they become adults and members of society.
My other piece of advice: show yourself—find your story. My friend told me that, and she was right. I understand what that means, finally: what experiences have I had that I can bring to the table and share, because I’m not the only one who has had these experiences? Others may be going through similar or different experiences, but they can all relate. We all have the same human emotions.
So find what is personal to you: let your raw side come out and the words will flow. Write the stories that need to be written.
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