Member Reviews

This story and the artwork is the cutest. I love having this and need to purchase physical copies for my classroom.

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This is a chapter book on par with series like Henry and Mudge. While it is structured in chapters, these are short and image heavy. The plot is simple as is the sentence structure. It's not a thrilling read but it serves a purpose.

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I loved the Urdu glossary page at the beginning. Very sweet book about listening to adults. Lovely family relationship between the children and their grandfather.

Ali loses his baby brother Fateh in a supermarket. The story portrays all of the feelings a child would feel if they hadn't listened to their adult and were worried about something.

Short and sharp book perfect for ks1 and year 3 . There are also great questions at the back of the book about feelings and conversation starters.

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Thanks to NetGalley and its author for providing me with an advanced copy of this book
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An asian family who went to the supermarket once. grandpa and his two grandchildren the older and the almost baby (troublemaker).

Nice book to get distract for a while or practice english for kids. Enjoyable and fun.

4.0

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One of four books in this series so far, this is probably more concerned with making sure its market gets to see itself represented, as opposed to being a wonderfully-told story. Either way, we have a child going to the supermarket with his granddad and baby brother, and having to rescue the slightly needy, slightly greedy toddler when he loses sight of him. It's all a bit too unlikely, in the finish, but for the Urdu-speaking communities, their presence in such chapter books is probably not that great either.

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Ali the Great and the Market Mishap is a fantastic start to a new chapter book series featuring Ali and his multi generational family. In this installment, Ali, his younger brother Fateh, and grandfather Dada visit the South Asian market to buy the Pakistani snacks that Dada craves. In a turn of events all too familiar to many readers, Fateh manages to slip away when Ali has to turn away to stabilize a display, leaving him to try to find his sibling among the aisles of the market. The relatable storyline, short chapters, and colorful pictures will capture the attention of and engage young readers making the transition to reading chapter books on their own. A glossary of Urdu terms, jokes, several jokes, and reflective questions are also included. Fans of Saadia Faruqi's Yasmin series will be thrilled to grab this one off the shelves. I know it will be a hit with my school's readers.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to review the eARC of this book.

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This book was so adorable, I loved everything about it, the illustrations were so well done, they suited the book perfectly, the story was amazing as well, even thought is very short I could really connect with the characters and feel theirs struggles.
I’m sure the kids are going to be just as enthralled with this amazing book as I was.
I will definitely recommend!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

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**Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Ali Tahir is a Pakistani boy that lives with his grandparents, parents, and little brother, Fateh. I love that the book introduces children to the Urdu words for family members, as well as "hello" and "thank you". It also mentions some Pakistani snacks.

Dada is out of Pakistani snacks. Obviously it's time to go to the South Asian market to get more, because what is life without delicious food? So, he buckles Fateh into his stroller and he and Ali walk to the store. Dada gives Ali two jobs - to watch his brother and find the good chips. However, he doesn't seem to be able to do either thing.
If you've ever seen Rugrats, it will kind of remind you of that. The kids get into trouble and the grown ups don't even notice it's happening, or chalk it up to something else.

Cute story & illustrations!

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Ali the Great and the market mishap, is one of the chapter book series, about Ali saving the day when he goes grocery shopping with his grandpa and his younger brother The book highlights the South Asian grocery shopping experience while Ali trying to figure out a creative way to solve the problem.
The book is important as it diversifies its readers knowledge about the South Asian culture whilst showing Ali's ingenuity as he comes to the rescue for his young brother.

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Faruqi hits another chapter book home run with this latest series. A fun story with vibrant illustrations, it will engage and delight young readers.

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This was adorably illustrated and a relatable story to all kids. Very excited to purchase this series for my library!

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Great childrens book and great illustrations. Love how the author uses her background to teach children about Pakistani culture… today I learnt about Pakistani snacks

Would recommend for parents to buy for their child

5/5

Thanks for the ARC

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Akin to her beloved Yasmin series, author Saadia Faruqi offers up a new set of books similarly rich with culture, family mishaps, problem solving, and fun for early readers.  This is the first book in the series, with three more announced that follow the Pakistani American family, and seem to perhaps even connect to Yasmin (based on the cover pictures).  The books are not religious, Ali's mom wears hijab, and there is an Eid title in the series, but having only seen this particular book I'm not sure if it is faith detailed or not.  Over three chapters and 32 brightly illustrated pages, second grader Ali Tahir, along with his little brother and Dada head to the South Asian store to find some snacks and ends up having to find little Fateh.  With a family portrait and Urdu words defined at the start, the story concludes with some jokes, some details about traditional desi snacks, questions to consider and info about the Muslim author and Muslim illustrator.

It has finally stopped raining and Dada needs snacks, so he puts Fateh in the stroller and the three of them head off to the market.  Dada is from Pakistan and he and Dadi live with Ali's family.  Once they make their way to the store, they take in the sights and start looking for Dada's favorite chips.   Ali has to let go of Fateh's hand to catch a spicy chips display from falling over, and that quickly Fateh disappears.?

I love that the Yasmin series is such a staple and so widely beloved that a similar series with a boy protagonist is now going to grace our classroom, school and public libraries.  This particular book might only have a #Muslimintheillustrations, but it normalizes religious garb, cultural traditions, and larger themes that unite us all in a fun, age appropriate book that will get early readers smiling and brown Muslim kids glad that yet another mirror exists for them and a window for those around them.

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First - loved the Urdu language explanation at the beginning. Perfect way to introduce the reader to new vocabulary/new language! Second, love the formatting of the book. Spaced out lettering and lines of text make it sooo much easier for those with dyslexia to truly comprehend what they’re reading. Perfection.

As for the story, it was a great story about culture. It was quick to read and with colorful illustrations, it was very easy to follow along. The story had a few points that could have been touched on such as climbing the ladder as a little kid and all, but otherwise it was cute! Thanks for the opportunity to review!

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This was such a cute book with great illustrations. Short, easy to read chapters for younger readers, and a story about a younger sibling getting lost and Ali problem solving to find him.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet beginner chapter book. Small chapters, bright illustrations, and great representation.

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Have you ever been lost in a store? Author Saadia Faruqi and illustrator Debby Rahmalia team up for another book of adventures with Ali in this three-chapter book, which I received from #NetGalley and #PictureWindowBooks. Ali goes to the South Asian market with his brother, Fateh, and his grandfather. The trip to the market is just the beginning of what will happen! The inclusion of the artwork is smart and well-done. The inclusion of a dictionary aids in reading for all young readers – most appropriate for ages 7-9 – and the jokes at the end and questions engage readers in a number of ways. A book about family, adventure, and culture.

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Super cute new series for fans of Saadia Faruqi's Yasmin books! I love that Ali has a little brother that he helps to take care of, and that he uses problem-solving when his little brother gets away from him in the store. This is a relatable story with adorable illustrations, and wonderful representation!
Thank you @netgalley for the eARC. This is certainly a book I will add to my library collection for young readers, and I look forward to seeing more in the series!

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Loved this little short story! With cute illustration and simple writing, I'm sure everyone's gonna love it. The little informations on Pakistani families are so fun, including the extra trivia in the end. This is one of the perfect books for the target audience!

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loved this short story! the illustrations are bright and lovely, the story is simple and delightful, and ali tahir, our main character, is such a joy! a sweet little story, with diverse characters, this book is a must-read for all children!! 💖

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