Editors at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt felt it was time for a certain iconic monkey to learn how American Muslims celebrate Ramadan. Enter “It’s Ramadan Curious George.”
Author Hena Khan says she drew on her own Ramadan experiences, citing Curious George and his Muslim friend, Kareem, breaking the daily fast by eating pizza and kabobs. “I wanted to reinforce the message that American Muslims are just as American as anyone else,” says Ms. Khan. “Some of us are descended from immigrants and have other cultures and other foods that we embrace. We still love pizza and burgers as much as the next person.”
The author talks about her experiences working with such a beloved character, saying it was intimidating at first. “But those feelings quickly gave way to the thrill of introducing George to new concepts and traditions that I hold dear, and to know that he would in turn bring them to other children and their parents.”
