Salma Writes a Book by Danny Ramadan

Author:Danny Ramadan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Annick Press
Published: 2023-06-12T15:49:52+00:00

Chapter 7

A few days later, Salma and Riya walk home together after school. Mama needs to go to the doctor for an ultrasound so they can take a picture of the baby. So, this afternoon, Salma is going to Riya’s for a playdate. Salma feels the weight of her guidebook in her backpack, even though the papers are light.

“I don’t know what to do anymore, Riya,” Salma says as she sits on the fluffy carpet in Riya’s room. She spreads the papers between them like confetti. “I’m scared that if I don’t finish the book, I won’t be the best older sister. But I need to know how to be the best older sister in order to finish the book.”

“Maybe you just need a break, Salma,” Riya says. “How about we make a gift for Nour instead? Something that will show the baby how good of an older sister you are.”

Salma is not sure. She needs to finish the book—it’s the book she needs the most. Then, she decides that anything is better than staring endlessly at her notes. She nods in agreement, and for the next hour or so, they brainstorm gifts to make for the baby. Riya suggests they invent a new board game to play together, but Salma says it will be years before her sibling is old enough to play board games. Salma considers making them a skirt, but Riya reminds her that she doesn’t know if the baby will want to wear skirts. They search online but don’t find anything they like. Then Riya has an idea.

“All these baby photos have one thing in common,” Riya says, pointing at their search results. “The babies are all wearing bibs. What if we sew a bib for your new sibling?”

“Of course!” Salma’s eyes sparkle. Mama sews all the time and taught her how to sew by hand. A bib will look so cute when Nour is eating Salma’s many cooking creations. Salma jumps up. “Do you have a sewing kit?”

“I have this one Maa got me,” Riya says, “but I don’t have any fabrics.”

“Maybe we can find some around the house!” Salma races to the door.

The two girls sneak around the house. They hear Maa’s voice coming from the living room, murmuring the lyrics of a song she likes. They look around the kitchen, but the tea towels are too thick. The bathroom rug is too wet. The curtains in the bedrooms are too high to remove. They’re about to

give up, but then they go digging in Maa’s closet.

“What about this?” Salma shows Riya a shawl she found all the way in the back. It’s a beautiful red color, covered in tiny little golden birds. The fabric feels soft on the tips of her fingers. “It’s so pretty.”

“I’ve never seen this shawl before,” Riya whispers back.

“Maa won’t miss it then, right? It’s perfect for a bib!”

Riya hesitates but follows Salma back to her bedroom. The two sit down and watch a video on how to make a bib.

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