Crescent Moon Friends

Aisha meets Amelia on her first day at her new school in Canada, and the two immediately become friends. Aisha shares fond memories of her home and school in Afghanistan while telling Amelia she moved to Canada with her family because it was not safe in Afghanistan anymore.

As the girls get to know each other, their families spend more time together; they share their cultures, traditions, beliefs, games and food with one another. They learn a great deal about each other and become closer as they realize they have many common values. Aisha teaches Amelia about Eid, the most important Muslim holiday, an Afghan dance, her favourite games, and Amelia introduces Aisha to her holiday traditions and characters, such as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

There is a strong emphasis on tradition and compassion, not religion in this story. Aisha and Amelia both love the crescent moon but for different reasons. Similarly, Aisha and Amelia show that they love each other and that, despite their differences, they have many common values. Authors Wadia Samadi and Mo Duffy Cobb show that friends with different experiences and cultural backgrounds still have many underlying commonalities. Crescent Moon Friends is a great way to help children understand different cultures and to show how to create a caring environment for newcomers to Canada.

Lisa Lypowy’s watercolour illustrations are beautiful and bring the story to life. There are plenty of details in the artwork, including the designs on Aisha’s Afghani dress and the leaves changing colours. In one image where both families are celebrating Christmas, readers can see traditional decor like a Christmas tree with candy canes and a red holiday hat as well as a star and moon banner and Afghani teapot. The blending of cultures within the illustrations creates a lovely visual confirmation of the story and illustrates exactly how cultures can positively integrate. The idea that culture does not have to be forgotten and that it can be celebrated, shared and taught is an important idea that the authors convey well in Crescent Moon Friends.