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520 Lexile

Six-year-old Bilal introduces his friends to his favorite dish—daal!—in this charming picture book that showcases the value of patience, teamwork, community, and sharing.

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Asian-Pacific American award for literature

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Asian-Pacific American award for literature

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The story was awarded the Asian/Pacific American Award in 2019.

"The goal of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit."

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Character trait 1: Patient

Bilal is patient when it comes to making daal because he knows that it takes time

When his friends ask if the daal is done, he replies "daal takes time. We have to wait" (Saeed)

Character trait 2: Nervous

Bilal's friends question whether the daal will taste good when they see that it "smells funny" and "looks funny"

"Bilal is a little, tiny bit worried that maybe, just maybe, his friends won't like daal at all"

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Character trait 1: Knowledgable

Abu is knowledgable when it comes to making daal and explains to Bilal's friends that daal takes time to cook

"Daal takes time. We have to wait. The flavors mix together slowly" (Saeed).

Character trait 2: Generous

Abu is shown to be generous by allowing Bilal's friends to help prepare the daal and stay for dinner.

Abu anticipates that a lot of Bilal's friends will show up and he "pulls out a pot, the biggest they have" (Saeed).

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Question: Can you think of a time similar to when Bilal and his friends had to wait patiently for the daal?

Answer: I have had to wait patiently before. There have been times where I have waited for my grandmother's baking and

I would always ask if it was ready yet. It is hard being patient, but patience is always rewarded in the end.

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Bilal wants his friends to try daal. But all of his friends keep asking when the daal will be done. So in the meantime, Bilal and his friends play outside. Then, Abu calls Bilal and his friends to come and prepare the final ingredients. Finally, Bilal's friends learn that being patient will be rewarded and the daal will taste good!

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Question: Has there ever been a time where someone you cared about hesitates to try something you love?

Answer: Definitely. I wanted to take an exercise class with a few of my friends, and one of them was reluctant at first because she never really enjoyed most exercise classes she's taken. She expressed her uneasiness and I explained that she could give it 10 minutes and if she absolutely hated it, we could go. It turned out she enjoyed the class so much! She loved the instructor and we frequently went together afterwards. I think the best response to when someone is nervous to try something new is to be understanding, and let them know that it's ok if they don't like it, they just need to try it out.

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 Right There, Think and Search (Literal Comprehension)

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 Right There, Think and Search (Literal Comprehension)

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Question: Is Bilal feeling nervous that his friends won't like the daal because of how everything looks and smells different?

Answer: Yes, he does appear to be nervous.

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Question: Could this story be something similar to what the author experienced?

Answer: I think it could be because a lot of people who come from different backgrounds feel nervous or excited when their friends try something from their culture. It's a special moment between Bilal and his friends when they taste the daal and describe how delicious it tastes. Maybe the author wanted to share her experience through the story.

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Daal or dal is a staple Indian dish that uses a variety of different lentils and is most often created into a soup like dish. Daal is often eaten with rice, chapati (a kind of bread and staple for Indian cuisine) and naan (another bread).