Motema's Feast

Motema's Feast tells the story of three elementary school friends whose families are from Afghanistan, Ghana and Pakistan, respectively. It describes the plight of immigrants who come as refugees to the United States through the families' experiences in a manner appropriate for children that helps them understand the joy of being different. The friends learn to express gratitude for their good fortune in being able to establish themselves in the United States while continuing contact with their families and cultures of origin. A must read to help children understand the plight of refugee families and the cultural wealth that they bring to the United States in terms of world view, food, clothing and family values.

This book describes three friends: Umeed, Matondo and Tabassum. Their families are from Pakistan, Ghana and Afghanistan, respectively. Umeed and Tabassum were born abroad and came to the United States as refugees. Matondo was born in the United States but has an "aunt," Motema, who wishes to be admitted to the United States as a refugee but has not been successful so far. The children are in the same class for ESL instruction. One day, a spelling test with the word "gratitude" spurs them to plan a feast. At the feast, they and their parents will wear their original countries' clothing, decorate the table according to those countries' practices, and serve food from their families' country of origin. They invite their teacher, Mrs. Cohen, whose grandparents escaped Europe before the Holocaust happened. She is thrilled that her test inspired the children to express their culture and gratitude through a feast but saddened by remembering her family's experience of persecution. The children are sympathetic to her story when they understand that the family who remained in Europe perished. The book tells a universal, though challenging, story that continues to be relevant today. Its hopeful and positive manner helps the young reader understand this difficult topic.

Aida Waserstein came to the United States as a thirteen year old unaccompanied minor in 1961. In the United States, she received her high school, college and legal education. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law. She practiced law in Delaware and served as a Family Court judge for 21 years prior to her retirement in 2017. After retirement, she wrote the following children's books: My Name is Aida; Me Llamo Aidita (bilingual version of the first book); Amelia Finds her Voice: A custody story; Joey's Buddy: A foster care story; and now Motema's Feast: A story about refugee families. Her goal is to convey difficult scenarios at a level that is appropriate for children in order to spur their understanding and engage them in thinking deeply about the personal and social issues presented in her stories. Using her creativity, she seeks to stress the positive values of diversity and inclusion. She received many awards of which the latest is her induction into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame in 2022.