Zanib Mian has really set the standard for quality affordable children’s Islamic books title after title. So, I really was on pins and needles waiting for these Musa & Friends board books, and then I got one (thank you Crescent Moon Store) and part of me is really disappointed, and part of me is wondering what I’m missing.
They are at cheapest $8 a book, and there are 8 pages. Yes, the binding and page thickness is awesome, and the 5.5 square size is adorable in a toddler’s hands, but I guess I wanted more. More pages, more feeling or tone of Ramadan, a little more substance.
The illustrations are super fun and Zanib Mian has a history of writing toddler and preschool appropriate books, so needless to say I was surprised that I didn’t love this book. Granted I’ve only seen the Ramadan book, and maybe the others in the series are much more satisfying, or maybe when you have all four together, they round each other out, which I’m really hoping is the case.
The text amount per page is great for littles, but the content is rather random in my opinion. They little diverse family and their penguin love Ramadan, they go to the masjid for taraweeh, they wake up for suhoor, they read Quran, they give money to the poor, they eat too much iftar and they love eid.
The book is meant for Muslim children as no details are given about what iftar or suhoor mean or that Ramadan involves fasting. The illustrations won’t help much either in explaining the terms or even teaching concepts as the page on giving to charity has Musa and Penguin putting money in a jar, Musa’s dad is reading Quran, even though the text says, “Well done, Musa,” and even the penguin says “Gobble, gobble, gobble,” when eating(?).
The books are cute and if you aren’t overly critical and you receive the book as a gift you will probably be very happy. I just expected more and after the smallness of size of “A Young Muslim’s Mindful Book of Wellbeing” combined with the shortness of these books, I won’t just blindly order a bunch of Muslim Children’s Books without considering if they are worth it anymore, which makes me sad.
This adorably illustrated 40 page rhyming book about jannah explores just how generous and amazing the ultimate goal of obtaining paradise can be, as seen from a child’s perspective. Preschool and up will enjoy the illustrations and cadence the book tries to adhere to, as well as the silly manifestations of everything and anything the characters in the book can imagine.
According to the publisher, Prolance, there are two versions of the book: “In the Islamic edition, we’ve included verbiage that relates to the Muslim audiences, added a fun Quran search activity & a song!” Additionally, the word Allah is written in Arabic and there is an ayat from the Quran at the beginning of the book.
There isn’t really a story it is more a glorified list of all the things you could have (inshaAllah) in paradise. The set-up is a mom discussing it with her two small children at bedtime. The book doesn’t give too much information about what you have to do to get to heaven aside from mentioning being patient and being believers.
The book surprisingly does a pretty good job of not getting too silly or carried away with it self. It manages to include that there will be rivers made of milk and honey, that there are levels of jannah, that there will be castles and we will know which is ours, and that the greatest gift will be to see Allah swt.
Naturally, it seems with every kids book about heaven, the majority anyway, focus a ton on food, this one does branch out a bit from the dreams of ice cream mountains and curly fries for hair, to flowers growing shoes and dinosaurs for pets, but not a whole lot.
The book is fun, but with most Prolance books it seems, the price is a bit steep. The book is hardback, the inside pages are not glossy, but have a decent weight and feel to them. The 8.5 x 8.5 pages make it work better for bedtime than a large group as the illustrations are the best part of the book and they are pretty detailed and small in places.
Now that there is legitimately a genre of YA Islamic Romance out there told in Own Voice, the expectations are high that a book is compelling, realistic, and unique somehow. While the author’s first book, Saints and Misfitswas pretty ground breaking, this 342 page was a great read, but not nearly as remarkable or memorable. Granted it is not fair to compare the two books, and each day I do age out of the target demographic, but while the story reads authentic and true, albeit a bit serendipitous, it doesn’t have the teeth or grit I was kind of hoping for, and with a mother who suffers from multiple sclerosis my emotions were pretty invested.
SYNOPSIS:
Told from both Adam and Zayneb’s perspectives by way of their individual “Oddities and Marvels” journals, our two characters are presented by a narrator who keeps their story on track and interjects when their versions of an event differ.
Zayneb is a high schooler and activist who has recently been expelled for threatening a teacher who consistently lets his Islamaphobic beliefs take over the days lessons. In an environment filled with micro aggressions against Muslims, Zeynab’s parents are at a loss at how to keep their daughter from making waves, and thus allow her to leave her Indiana home a week before spring break to visit her aunt in Doha, Qatar.
Adam is at University in London where he has recently been diagnosed with MS and as a result has stopped going to classes, and is literally “making” the most of the time he has by making things. As the term ends and he officially withdraws from school, he heads home to Doha to tell his dad and sister that he has the same disease that took his mother’s life years early.
The two characters meet at the airport briefly and then again on the plane and then at Adam’s house and the needless to say their accidental meetings allow for friendship to grow, attraction to be built upon and a relationship to develop. Both characters have their own lives and own obstacles and own maturity that needs to occur in order for a happy ending to take place, and thus the book keeps you interested, invested and cheering them on.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I love the dynamic of how the book and characters are set up. Both are practicing Muslims, both characters don’t cross a line, both characters have diverse mixed cultural backgrounds, and one is a convert and the other the daughter of a convert. She is fiery and impulsive and emotional, he is pragmatic and calm and quiet. While they have some background in common, their life experiences are rather different and it is very much a story about opposites attracting.
I’ve been waiting for this book to come out, and so I knew my expectations would be too high. That being said the book warns it is a love story and in some ways, that was what I kind of felt was lacking. There was the physical attraction that was mentioned fairly often, but the deep connection of ideas or growing seemed a bit lacking.
I really liked Adam, and his internal stresses and struggles and coming to grips with his disease seemed pretty developed. Somehow though, and I’m probably in the minority, I didn’t love Zayneb. She is impulsive and definitely learned and grew from the start of the book to the end, but I didn’t love her nuances with dealing with the Emmas and her friends back home and unraveling her teacher, it felt kind of forced and I can’t articulate why. I’m glad she matured and she got answers about her grandmother, but maybe I should have felt so much in common with her and when I didn’t, I felt a little irritated. Clearly I get too invested in fictional characters, I’ll admit that.
I like that Islam is presented in a non defensive way. The parents aren’t evil, there is no rebelling, even the awful teacher spawns backlash and allies to Zayneb and her cause. There is no apologizing or overly explaining if the characters are pushing boundaries established by Islam or if they are establishing their own boundaries based on their understanding of Islam. I like this, because it shows that Muslims are not a monolith, we are not one way good or bad. Zayneb covers and prays and has friends that are boys and her family is kept in the loop of what she does, which alone breaks so many of the predominate stereotypes about Muslims. Adam himself converted at age nine and plays the guitar and has friends that are girls, and is close to his sister, and likes dogs. A side character is noted to be incredibly religious, but doesn’t cover. The story takes place in an Islamic majority country, but attitudes at the swimming pool don’t allow Zayneb to dress modestly while she swims.
Overall, the book is a delightful read that manages to keep the religious integrity in the characters and show their personalities as they come of age. It may not be memorable years after reading, but what you do remember will be positive, and while you are reading it, you will have a hard time putting it down.
FLAGS:
There is angsty romance, and talk of sex. The two main characters keep it pretty clean, but the side characters joke about hooking up, being horny, and sneaking off to hotel rooms. The non Muslim aunt has a secret alcohol and cigarette stash that she gets called out on, but nothing more is mentioned about it. I think 9th or 10th grade and up will be perfectly ok to read.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
There is a lot to unpack in this book and I think if one just listens, teens will naturally add their own opinions and perspectives on EVERYTHING the characters experience, feel, question, and cope with. The book just came out, but I would imagine that over time discussion questions will appear.
I’ve reviewed a few song books over the years and often don’t love them, this one however, is awesome! This 30 page hardbound 9×9 book is a great size for toddlers and up, the only thing hard about the book is reading the words and not singing them.
The text is large and easy to read as it dances around the pages. It follows the song exactly, just not the repeating lines.
Each stanza tells a bit about an animal, and the animal answers who created them. The chorus is that Allah is our creator and some attributes.
The back of the book says for ages five and up, and yes some of the vocabulary is a bit advanced, but the general feel and point of the book is appropriate for little ones and the pictures will keep the littles engaged as well.
The bright colorful illustrations are playful and fun. They make the book able to stand alone even by chance you have never heard the song, or had it stuck in your head for days.
Like many of Emma Apple’s books that she writes and illustrates, the concept is simple, the illustrations minimal, the message clear, and the price a tad bit high.
At 50 pages this $17 soft bound Ramadan counting book is a little disappointing. Had it been half the price, I would say it was great. So, now that that is off my chest, let’s dive in.
The concept and text follow a pattern that it is Ramadan, the samosas are on the table for the guests and then there is a knock at the door and someone from a different country has arrived with a traditional dish, one meal more, to add to the table for them all to share. They get to 10 and the athan is called, they start with a date and they all eat.
I love that each of the women that arrive are not just from different countries, but that they are dressed different. Some are covered, some are not, those that are covered are all wearing their hijabs differently. The women are all smiling and the book shows diversity.
One could nitpick and say that many of the visitors do not bring a meal, they bring a drink or a snack, but I think that is besides the point. The point is that everyone from everywhere shares Ramadan, differently, but the same too. And this book brings the world down to size on one table and with welcome arms.
Muslims and non Muslim children ages 3 and up will get something out of it. Whether it just be counting or hearing different international foods or understanding how Ramadan unites Muslims all over the world, the repetitive words and pictures will illustrate the beauty of the month in a simple way.
This 24 page book written in rhyme explains with love and Islamic oversight the circle of life. From before birth and what happens after death, the tone and images of the book really are very beautiful and dream like. The author suggests the book for ages 6-9, but I think even toddlers will enjoy the poetry and illustrations.
The book is told from a mother to her child explaining that she is the answer to her prayers, but that there is the One, the Creator, who knows and loves her even more.
It details that everything about her is perfect and exact according to the will of Allah swt, even before her birth Allah knows and has decreed everything.
Once born, your mom loves and prays and watches you grow, but at an appointed time you, like all of us will leave this world for the next.
And that in the afterlife, inshaAllah once again we will be reunited.
Children are rarely sad when loved ones pass away, often pointing out that they are with Allah Subhanawatala now, and this book stems from that peace and comfort in knowing there is a world beyond this one. Not just for children, this book would make a perfect gift for expectant mothers or as a reminder for older kids in families suffering from loss.
I have the paperback 9 x 6 size book as I’m here in the US, but a larger hardback version exists elsewhere and I think the illustrations would benefit from the larger size. Also, the pictures are a shoutout to Dubai and I think kids who have been there or live there will equally enjoy the skyline on a number of the pages.
There is a talking points ebook for the book that you can get for free at https://littlemutaqeen.com/talkingpointsbefore/ that will assist you in presenting the information and concepts explored to older and more curious kids. It talks about how to broach potentially awkward concepts (pregnancy, birth, death) and a maintain body positive message, clarity of heaven and hell, and so much more. I highly recommend it.
There is nothing wrong with this dual language book, but there it isn’t anything to get excited about based on the story alone, either. If you are looking for a basic book with both English and Arabic telling what a little boy does in Ramadan, not elaborating on any reasons why he does them, then this book will adequately suffice.
The book is just linear facts, I wouldn’t even say that it is information driven, as there isn’t really even a story, it is just a few simple sentences on each of the 20 pages of a boy telling in first person what he is doing. “I finish my meal before athan alfajr and fast until sunset” it says on one page. “When I hear athan almaghreb, I recite dua and break my fast with my family” it reads two pages later. It does not define athan or almaghreb nor does it specify the dua.
The book is on the dry side, but I would image the simplicity in the Arabic, might be what would appeal to parents looking for their kids to read and understand both languages independently. I don’t speak Arabic so I’m unable to comment on the grammar complexities or smoothness.
The illustrations are sufficient, again nothing super exciting or noticeably off about them. The book is short, hardbound (8.5 x 8.5) and honestly, rather unremarkable or memorable, unfortunately.
This book is fun and enchanting, whether you read all 321 pages and fall in to the occasional illustrations and pour over the map, or listen to the audio and get swept away. It is an AR 4.1, and the first in the three part series. Told by the point of view of two characters, the book’s short chapters and high action speed are expertly crafted to keep suspense and interest high, while maintaining solid world building events and making the character’s history come alive. There isn’t anything Islamic in the books, save some critical and cleverly named characters and ideas, but the author in interviews has said he is Muslim, and that is enough for me to share a book I thoroughly enjoyed on this blog!
SYNOPSIS:
Thorn is a fugitive kid, on the run from something left intentional vague and possibly the son of an outlaw. Raised on the edge of Herne forest (earth), he is good with animals, feels comfortable in nature, has a soft heart for doing what is right, and isn’t afraid of hard work. He finds himself being sold as a slave to the executioner of Gehenna, Tyburn, and is off to Castle Gloom where he will meet and befriend the new ruler of House Shadow (death/darkness), Lily.
Lillith Shadow’s parents and brother have been murdered and she is now the ruler of Gehenna. She is also still a child and events around her require her to grow up fast. To end hostilities with House Solar she is to wed Prince Gabriel, a pompous idiot, who she despises in principle and in person.
When an attempt is made on Lily’s life, Thorn and an unexpected ally, K’leef a Prince from the Sultanate of Fire, must work together to figure out who is trying to kill Lily, possibly who killed her parents, where Thorn’s father is, who is raising an army of zombies, and now how to get out of this wedding without causing continued war.
The history of the six founding houses that make up this world, and their elemental magical rules and limitations as magic dies out with each passing generation, come together and a tale is told that contrasts easy everyday language in a mystical proper world of royalty and dukes, colored by the dark of death and necromancy and shadows, while somehow remaining light, and funny, and completely relatable as the kids come of age and learn who they are and what they are capable of doing and accomplishing.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I love that the book is clean and that it has both Thorn and Lily’s perspectives to move the story along and give insight into the characters. I love the world building and how the history of each of the houses is so well thought out and clear.
“The whole idea of House Shadow is based on the Middle-East. Lily’s dad’s name is Arabic for the devil. Her mother’s the great villainess of the Old Testament and Lily is Lilith, a Hebrew demoness. The view people have of House Shadow mimics the fear the West has of East, and specifically Islam. For that reason all of House Solar is named after archangels. . . Some houses were easier to establish than others. House Djinn was fire as djinns are (out of Arabic lore) beings of smokeless fire. Herne’s an ancient English forest deity, so again a pretty easy fix” (http://www.cybils.com/2017/03/interview-with-joshua-khan.html).
A big plot point is that Lily is magical, and it is against ancient laws, meaning all six houses agree, that women cannot practice magic. The irony is great, in that even kids can pick up on the fact that the six brothers and founders of the magical houses acknowledge that the source of their magic comes from their mother, a woman, and the hypocrisy of it all is frustrating. I love that three very different characters have to work together, and pick their battles, it really is a testament to the strength of friendships even with people so very different than yourself.
FLAGS:
Pretty clean, not recalling anything cringeworthy as we listened to it in the car (kids ages 3, 8, 9, 12). The book is dark in that it takes place in Gehenna and there is talk of the undead and bringing the dead back to life and they really celebrate Halloween in their own dark way. There is murder and death and assassinations, but it isn’t overly morbid or gory or violent.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I think I’ve already 90% decided to start next years middle school book club off with this book. It is fun and engaging and the discussions would connect this fantasy story to so much in the kid’s lives and greater world that I get giddy just thinking about how fun a discussion it will be. Sadly the school year is wrapping up and I’ll have to wait until fall. Here are some of my favorite interviews online with the author:
Kids love to stretch their imagination and do the impossible, but for Yaseen Muhammad, his dreams at night are his favorite activity to see just how far his abilities can go. In this 21 page paperback 8.5 x 8.5 square book, Yaseen Muhammad will imagine his best day ever as the President of the United States and share with kids 1st through 3rd grade exactly what he will make happen, inshaAllah, when he wakes up.
In a very busy day as the first kid president, Yaseen Muhammad dreams of starting the day leading morning prayer in the Oval Office, and then getting his family to help him prepare a special lunch for everyone in every state. He’ll visit schools all over America and play celebrity basketball with his cousin and vice President Jameelah. He’s Jedda will teach people to start their own gardens, and he’ll give a speech on TV, after all why not, “Nothing is Impossible.”
The pictures are lively and descriptive that the reader and listeners will enjoy looking at them. The characters are visibly Muslim as the women wear hijab, and in the text it mentions the characters praying, and Yaseen Muhammad dreaming he is the imam. There is a lot of text on the pages, but the story flows and the information serves a purpose in establishing who Yaseen Muhammad is and connecting him and his dream to the readers. The text is uniformly on the right with the pictures on the left making the book very convenient if sharing during story time and you are like me and hold the book in your left hand when reading to a group.
The only thing that struck me as off, was in the illustration of Jameelah and Yaseen playing basketball. Yaseen’s t-shirt has a Y on it and Jameelas an F. Not a J for Jameelah or a Y signaling they are on the same team. It is minor, but all my kids noticed it too and wondered why.
A couple of places I stumbled over some of the grammar and wording, but after reading it aloud a hundred times (exaggeration, slightly) to figure out why, I don’t think anything is wrong, it is just a bit awkward, but it is probably me. For example when Yaseen is speaking to the whole world on TV he says “Every kid can make a difference in your community, in your state, in your country, and even in the world. Dream Big.” Seems like it should be, Every kid can make a difference in “their” community, in “their” state, no?
Overall, a good empowering story for all children and one that highlights African American Muslims in text and illustrations. A great book to have in rotation to encourage kids to dream, make the world better, and believe in themselves. Alhumdulillah.
This is the second middle grade mystery story for globe trotting sleuth, Ayesha Dean, and much like her first adventure in Istanbul, this Spanish setting is infused with rich history, delicious food, relatable characters and quick paced action.
SYNOPSIS:
Once again Ayesha and her two friends Jess and Sara are tagging along on a business trip with Uncle Dave, Ayesha’s uncle who has raised her since her parent’s passing. As they wait in line to board the final flight of their lengthy journey from Australia, a young man drops his contents and Ayesha and him chat, later they are seated next to each other on the plane where he discloses his travels from England to Seville are to help locate his missing grandfather. Ayesha volunteers herself and her friends to help him and they hit the ground in Spain determined to solve the case.
The boy, Kareem, is staying with the friends his beloved grandfather was staying with when he went missing, so that is where the detectives start their work. In searching his room, Ayesha uncovers a 400 year old diary written in Arabic, and a pamphlet from the Archeology Museum with a necklace circled, the Collar de Pajaros. Just enough to get them started and set their adventure in motion.
The group of teens rely on Kareem to translate the Arabic in the diary and Ayesha’s wit to decide what to follow up on and how to incorporate their sightseeing with the task at hand. As they journey through the city of Seville, learning the history and tasting the food, nefarious characters start to notice the group and things get intense. From Cathedrals, to cafes, to Museums, and even to an ancient city uncovered in Cordobo, Madina Al-Zahra, the chase is on, not only to find Kareem’s grandpa, but to also avoid being caught themselves and maybe even solving a centuries old mystery about treasure and a necklace along the way.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I love that Ayesha in any situation stays true to her self. She wears hijab, she prays, she is aware of the good looking guy, but doesn’t cross her own line, she is a good friend, an inquisitive person, and confident. All amazing attributes for a fictitious hero and real ones too.
Much like Nancy Drew and other middle grade novel series, the books don’t need to be read in order, and while they reference other adventures, they stand alone sufficiently too. Also, like the aforementioned books there is definitely a formulaic pattern to how the author writes her books. And while reading it I didn’t notice it intensely, as I write the review I do. Ayesha travels abroad, she has her sidekicks that are not developed at all and truly have no barring on the story plot wise or as comic relief, they are simply foils to bounce conversation off of, there is a cute boy who could be pursued, but isn’t, someone passes out while she and her friends are sight seeing, and the spouses provide added clues, Ayesha gets locked in a small dark space, there is a twist and a surprise, a trap, and they all live to repeat the adventure in another city another day. I don’t think I have a problem with it, but maybe because I am not the target audience age, I might get bored with it about book four or so. As it stands right now, I’m anxiously waiting for book three.
While reading I was a little irked that Sara and Jess weren’t any more developed in Spain than they were in Turkey. One of them could have been the one to administer CPR or to stumble on the diary in the room, something to give them some plot significance, but alas, the books do not bare their names. I wish Kareem would have at least said “Salam” on occasion. I like that the author shows he doesn’t know much about Islam and shows that his grandfather admits its been so long since he has prayed, but the boy is a Morisco and his parents immigrants from Algeria, he translates Arabic, he should say Salam when he meets Ayesha in her hijab wrapped head.
The author does a much better job in this book staying with the characters and showing the city through their eyes rather than pulling them out of their scenes to convey something. Only once at the end of a chapter did I feel there was some forced foreshadowing that was not needed, as the book is quick and chapters may end, but the pages still turn until the end is reached. I had more trouble putting the book down than picking it up, and that is saying something as I read it online and I definitely favor physical books.
I wish there was an afterword or author’s note explaining what was real and what was fiction. I googled Madinat al-Zahra and found it fascinating, but couldn’t find anything in English about the Collar de Pajaros. Also a map or two would be great.
FLAGS:
None. This book is clean and even the fights are not gory or over the top. Yay!
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I would absolutely do this as an elementary book club selection, and can’t wait to get a copy to my children’s school library and their classrooms. The book is an easy read and the history and culture is seamlessly interwoven in to the story that kids will enjoy the action and find they learned something about a culture along the way. I think boys and girls will enjoy it, even if it appeals more to the girls. The cover, the binding, the font is all spot on for the age group and I eagerly await Ayesha’s next adventure.
Islamic School Librarian 