Children’s book on Ramadan put back on school shelves

A Ramadan-themed children’s book is returning to elementary school shelves in Winnipeg following public outcry.

The Louis Riel School Division announced on Friday afternoon that it was bringing Upside-Down Iftar back into circulation.

The newly released picture book by Palestinian author Maysa Odeh is about a girl and her grandmother preparing a traditional dish for their family to break their fast together after sunset.

It was temporarily pulled from schools last week following a complaint about an illustration of a map.

“We recognize that the earlier interruption in access raised concerns in the community about censorship, erasure, and trust in the review process,” a notice on the school division’s website states.

The division said an “informal review” was complete and it is committed to keeping resources that are called into question accessible during future reviews.

Internal policy states books and other educational material that are challenged “shall not be restricted” during any reconsideration process.

The school division ordered 13 copies of Upside-Down Iftar for 13 elementary schools in the fall.

Superintendent Christian Michalik said copies were being distributed when a concern was raised about an image inside the book and on its back cover.

The map of modern-day Israel is overlaid with a checkered pattern of a keffiyeh, a traditional scarf worn by Palestinians. The drawing is surrounded by Arabic place names.

A library-technician told the Free Press the unusually swift removal of the book made her feel “quite uncomfortable.”

Library staff were told an employee had reported contents in the book made them feel unsafe, she said.

In its public memo, the school division said its review considered the specific concern, the book as a whole and its educational value and appropriateness for elementary students.

The division wants its school libraries to “reflect a wide range of cultures, identities, and lived experiences,” it states.

A spokesperson for Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group said the publisher is proud to represent Upside Down Iftar.

“(It) celebrates the specific joys that come with iftar as well as universally resonant themes like intergenerational family traditions and cooking as an act of love,” Molly Ellis, senior vice-president of publicity, said in a statement.

“This is a book that will delight young children, whether they celebrate Ramadan or not.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca