Watch now: http://vimeo.com/76729452
“Making a Difference” Inside the gates of the Zabuli Education Center.
So beautifully, captivatingly illustrated in a style that might be called “digital collage,” Razia’s Ray of Hope is based on the true story of Razia Jan, who started the Zabuli Education Center for girls outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. Reading it made me angry, but it gave me hope because Razia Jan is a real woman who is making a real difference for the girls in Afghanistan.
Razia’s Ray of Hope website can be found here at http://www.raziasrayofhope.org/
The book is written for children in grades 3-6 (ages 8-12), but anyone should find something of value in here. Well, except for the Taliban, who might not like it, but that’s too bad.
A portion of the royalties from sales of Razia’s Ray of Hope directly support the Razia’s Ray of Hope foundation. I wish Razia and all the girls at her school (and in her country) all the best. ( )

I liked this book a lot. I really enjoyed the colors and the style of the illustrations. Razia's beautiful clothing is such a beautiful display to go alongside the story. I also like this book because it really pushes readers to consider things like sexism in education.It teaches a lesson about education being a human right which is not universal. This book is a wonderful and triumphant story of a girl in Afghanistan who dreams of an education.

Young Razia wants to attend the new girls' school being built in her Afghanistan village. She must ask her father and brothers for permission to fulfill her dream of education.

In order for someone to understand this book they would have to understand what the Taliban is and what they did, and they'd also need to know a brief history of Afghanistan prior to Taliban control. The book mentions these things only briefly and with no context that makes them understandable to the reader.

I'd been hoping for a book that would show children how life is different in other parts of the world and this book doesn't give the reader enough information to achieve that.

(Provided by publisher) ( )

In my opinion this book sent a powerful message. The way Elizabeth Suneby, depicted Razia's character as this strong woman who kept fighting for what she wanted. I felt like I could connect to Razia, fighting for something I wanted but couldn't achieve it at first because I was a woman. The story was told from Razia's perspective so it put an emotional tone on the story overall which I also liked. I really liked this book and I feel like it can relate to many cultures. This book takes place in Afghanistan where women aren't allowed to get an education. But, the village Razia lives in decided to build an all girls school. Razia is eager to attend she loves to learn and already knows a lot. Her family is very against her attending this new school. "A woman should be home doing chores," this discouragement didn't stop Razia. She took her future into her own hands and convinced her family otherwise. This story sends a message that if you truly believe in something you shouldn't let others stop you. The story also depicts the message that not everyone is lucky enough to have a proper education. But, Razia was determined to get a better education so she showed her family the benefits this could bring them. When her older brother was sick she was able to read his pill bottle to give him the proper dosage. ( )

This book had a wonderful story to it. Personally, it is not a book I would like to read on my own because this book has a more serious storyline. But, I think it would be great to use as a read-aloud because it deals with a different culture and it would help young students to understand that people have different lives in other places of the world. Primarily, this book talks about a girl, Razia, who wants to go to school very badly and she begs her father so that she can attend school. This is probably something not many kids are aware of – the fact that some people cannot even attend school. In my opinion, this would teach kids to feel grateful to receive education and perhaps this would allow them to be more motivated in learning.