Category Archives: Muslim Character

Jan10

Upside-Down Iftar by Maysa Odeh illustated by Nadina Issa

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Upside-Down Iftar by Maysa Odeh illustated by Nadina Issa

This 32 page picture book is beautifully illustrated and set in Ramadan with the premise being Teta can’t fast because of a new medication she is on, so Malak, who is also not fasting, and her are going to make makloubeh for iftar.  From there the story follows most food centered books with everyone adding their favorites until the iftar meal is one of a kind and brings the family together.  The Palestinian rep in the illustrations, and the mention of asr and maghrib salat, along with the refrain of “inshallah” and Arabic phrases threaded throughout make for a joyful read any time of the year. Unfortunately the first page was hard for me to get past.  Why is Mama staying “up late singing prayers in her closet” a sign for the little girl that it is Ramadan? Why is she singing prayers? Why is she in a closet? Alhumdulillah, the rest of the story was less awkward and I love that it highlights that sometimes ailments and medications make fasting not possible.  The messaging that every family is unique, just like makloubeh is relatable and easy for kids to grasp as well.  The backmatter contains a recipe, the dust jacket slips off to show a vertical filling of the pot with “everything Makloubeh” and the detailed illustrations will both introduce some kids to the popular dish, and celebrate a favorite familiar meal for others.

The book starts with the moon smiling her Cheshire cat smile and Ramadan beginning.  This is the first year that Teta is not fasting, and Malak decides she will have Teta teach her how to make iftar, but not just any iftar, upside down Makloubeh!

It starts out with Teta explaining the process and getting started, but then Jido comes in and wants eggplant added. Then khalo sneaks in to let them know that he likes potatoes in his. When Mama gets home from work with cauliflower, she is swept off to pray asr, and Malak decides she wants to add her favorite to the mix.

When Maghrib athan time comes, the big reveal, the flip, and then the first bites take place, revealing a “makloubeh with a little bit of everything.” A dish so yummy that Teta and Malak might be making iftar every night.

Jan4

Ramadan Rain by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow illustrated by Aliaa Betawi

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Ramadan Rain by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow illustrated by Aliaa Betawi

This 40 page book is all the feels as little Haneen’s Ramadan duas change from the material to the heartfelt while the rain pours down, taraweeh prayers are made, fun is had, and hearts are touched.  In true Thompkins-Bigelow fashion the book presents in layers that pull the emotional threads without turning didactic and preachy. The adorable illustrations complement the text and by the page when the characters are crying, I too, found tears in my eyes. I love that praying, duas, and practicing Islam is not sidelined, as current Ramadan and Eid books seem to do, but rather centered and celebrated as a source of comfort and joy. For the most part the external catalyst moving Haneen’s internal change were seamless, but the page with the little boy pointing and calling the drawings on her card naked, seemed a little jarring to the tone, even though I can see the function it served. I also acknowledge that a physical version might not make it as abrupt. Additionally it is worth noting the very nature of reviewing is to over think, so to be completely honest, by about the fifth reading I began to wonder, did her perspective change? There was no pivotal moment that set it in motion, it seemed she just got carried away in making the Eid card and never got to articulate what she really wanted to her mom. The initial dua is for the shoes that the family can’t afford, which I already felt was inconsistent because when asking Allah swt nothing is impossible, and the whole premise is that it is Ramadan and on top of that raining, but that aside, even when she first draws them, she states that it isn’t what “she really wants.”  So now, I’m wondering if anything really changed at all, or she just never clarified and thus the reader as well  her mom are taken along from Ramadan night to Eid day.  Also in the arc I read, it seemed a word was missing on page three that will hopefully be fixed in the final version. I love the tone and the warmth, and I know most won’t read it as deep as me, but the publication is not until March and I wonder, and hope, a few tweaks might still take place.  When my pre order arrives, I will revisit the review if need be, and yes, even with my critiques, I think this is a book that will delight all ages this Ramadan and give plenty to reflect on throughout the year.

The book starts with a grumpy Haneen sitting on a bus, walking in the rain, and arriving at the masjid a little wet and muddy recalling when they had a car and things were easier.  She starts to complain but catches herself knowing that they can’t afford things, and Momma tells her that, “rain brings blessings.”  She also reminds Haneen that duas said on a rainy day get answered, especially during Ramadan.

Once in the masjid, Momma reads Quran and Haneen starts to make duas for the shoes she wants but knows they can’t afford when she is distracted by friends, and they start making Eid cards. They children work together, and when it is pointed out that Haneen’s stick figure has shoes, but no cloths, she marvels at the different dressed women around her, before adding her favorite to the picture, wondering if she can get new clothes for Eid.  The pattern continues, she sees the twins with plush toys, and thus plushies are added to her wants, and filled in on her Eid card, as the congregation moves from athan, to iftar, to salat, to taraweeh.

When Eid comes, SPOILER gifts come from unexpected places, and a new card, showing what Haneen really wanted and prayed for that rainy Ramadan night are revealed, alhumdulillah.

Dec23

Far Away from Here by Ambata Kazi

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Far Away from Here by Ambata Kazi

This character centered book takes the lives of three young adults, and through their own interwoven points of views shares their trauma, their choices, their dreams, and their fears in a poignant book that centers Islam and the characters relationship with their faith, their masjid community, and the concept of home.  The Islam in this OWN voice love letter to New Orleans is so much a part of the characters’ lives that I found myself snapping pictures on every page to share before quitting because it was taking me out of the story. The pictures I’m sharing, as a result are arbitrary as so many beautifully spoke to me. This adult book intentionally or not, forced me to confront my own assumptions, stereotypes, faults, and guilt, while tugging at my heart to see the growth and future possibilities for Fatima, Tahani, and Saif. The three distinct pov narratives feel real, the Black Muslim perspective so important, and the living breathing role of Islam so beautifully conveyed, that I’m just in awe of this book, and didn’t want to miss a beat recommending it to others.

SYNOPSIS:

The book opens from Fatima’s perspective as she leaves Atlanta for New Orleans.  She is returning to the place of her childhood and heartache, to care for her ex fiance’s mother in her final days.  Entering the home, reliving the memories of how Wakeel was killed, and facing Mama Tayyibah’s looming death, highlight her weakened faith and force her to confront the community and friendships she left behind.

Tahani, the only daughter in a large family of boys finds herself a single mother to two little girls when she rebelled against her mother and made her own choices.  She never really left Islam though, and the community who raised her is still a part of her life, even though her own family is not.  As she tries to chart her own career dreams and balance her daily survival, she is surprised to find her childhood friend Fatima once again part of her life.

Saif, straddles two worlds: the young man learning his deen as a respected member of the masjid community, and a seasoned criminal unable to stop selling drugs.  He blames himself for Wakeel’s death, and everyone else seems to agree that it should have been him gunned down, but Allah swt is All Forgiving and with Fatima’s return, perhaps if she can find a way to forgive him, he can forgive himself.

WHY I LOVE IT:
Oh my heart. The characters and their dichotomies brought tears to my eyes multiple times.  The drug dealer teaching the hijabi grappling with Allah’s will how to do tayammum, the young mom in revealing clothes waking up for fajr and taking her girls regularly to the masjid. What is in one’s heart is for Allah swt alone, and this message forced me to face my own assumptions, stereotypes, and judgmental paradigms without didactically calling me out, and I love the book for the fictional shaking.

The beauty of the convert stories, the history of Black Muslims in NOLA, the warmth and found family of the community, completely broke me in the best way possible.  None of the characters are having identity crisis as most literature depicts it, they are fighting their nafs, and other’s expectations, and to be shown their struggles, and yearning, in the proses gentle manner warmed my heart.

I wanted some epilogue space for Baba Kareem, and I honestly tried and failed to figure out the time line as the story circles around itself numerous times in its telling. But, I hope this author keeps writing and telling the stories we need as an ummah and larger community to hear, but to also feel so deeply.

FLAGS:

There is nothing sensationalized, but there are themes of drugs, killing, shooting, death, illness, dating, rebelling, rape, children out of wedlock, disowning, judging, fear, racism, Islamophobia.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

This is too adult for middle school, I do think upper high school could handle it, but it is solidly that “New Adult” category, with characters in their twenties.  At times they have some adult stresses, or coming of age options, and/or youthful possibilities. Often in multitudes they vacillate with what they have to face, and the limited experiences they have, with family expectations and independent choices.

Dec13

Our Neighborhood: Radiant Ramadan by Marzieh Abbas illustrated by Anoosha Syed

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Our Neighborhood: Radiant Ramadan by Marzieh Abbas illustrated by Anoosha Syed

This adorable 26 page board book rounds out the Celebrating Islam representation in the Our Neighborhood Series and the simply rhyming words do an excellent job of conveying the joy, worship, togetherness, and daily aspects of the glorious month. Some of the lines feel a bit forced, but I really enjoyed the size and tone of the book. The illustrations are equally well done with a keffiyeh shown on a drummer, different skin tones on the characters, and smiles throughout. It is perhaps worth noting that the prayer page does seem to have the Shia rock that is used, I missed it initially thinking it was just a design on the prayer mat, but it is hard to unsee once it is pointed out. The other Islamic books in the series by the same author and illustrator are Friday Fun and Excited for Eid.

Dec12

Aya and the Star Chaser by Radiya Hafiza illustrated by Kaley McKean

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Aya and the Star Chaser by Radiya Hafiza illustrated by Kaley McKean

Most people probably don’t read as much Islamic rep fiction as I do. Add in I’m an adult reading MG, who consistently shares thoughts on books that fit a slim criteria, and the result is I’m nitpicky and hard to please.  But, because I read a lot of a very small niche genre, the stark contrast to books with Islamic representation done well, compared to those done poorly or somewhere in the middle is hard to ignore. This 213 page book has an all Muslim cast, but has very little Islam, and what is there is terribly presented. It has one Assalamualaikum, one mention of salat, a reference to shoes worn on eid, and the mother sings Quran.  Yes the characters wear hijab, but it is only ever called a headscarf, so while the pieces are there they don’t add up to much, which I predict leaves Muslim readers disappointed and non Muslim readers chalking it up to more pointless details that serve as filler, and provide no real fleshing out of the characters on the page. I forced myself to read it, the desire at page 12 when stars and meteors are used interchangeably to dnf was strong, and to the book’s credit, I was mildly rewarded with the last 65 pages or so being slightly better written. The plot holes, repetition, inconsistencies, the reliance of the mother simply refusing to answer the daughters questions, and overall surface level of the book makes it regrettable, but can I see young readers that love quirky characters, balls, royalty, and happily ever afters enjoying the read? Yes. And being there is nothing blatant in the book that would warrant you not letting them dive in, you can take my criticisms with a grain of salt, or stardust.

SYNOPSIS:
Aya and her mother, who is “stern with a big heart” live in kingdom of Alferra.  Her father has been gone for seven years, she doesn’t even know his name, as Aya and her mother, Jannah, have a strained relationship. Aya loves the ocean and the night sky and dislikes school, the only friend she has is Naznen, and on the night of the Perseids meteor shower the two girls meet in the middle of the night to watch the sky.  One star (is it not a meteor?) hits Aya and give her powers: she can shoot fire and cry flowers. Desperate for answers Aya and Jannah head to the Somerfest Ball at the palace to meet a seer.  When they do they learn of a prophecy and the remainder of the book is Aya and her mother running away to avoid the prophecy, before Aya reluctantly has no choice, but to face the villain, and thus see the prediction through.  I don’t want to spoil spoil it, but there is an Evil queen and demons of sorts with red eyes referred to as bhoots, and a battle that takes place in true fairytale format before the happily ever after occurs.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I do like that Aya is strong and determined, her strength however, is undermined by her sickness, sleepiness, and lack of determination to find the answers her mother refuses to give though, which is unfortunate.  The biggest problem with the book is the writing quality just isn’t great.  Even the religious representation aside.  Why have a whole conversation about wearing matching clothes to the ball between Aya and Naznen for Jannah to gift Aya a gown of a different color and no mention of wanting to match with her friend revisited. Why have Naznen sneak through the window just to have Aya go through the door using the spare key under the mat? Why mention a strange lady at school dismissal, that is never explained? Why is everyone scared to be out because people are missing, just to have Naznen alone, show up with Aya’s homework? I could go on and on, the book brings things up and then dismisses them using them to be page filler it seems. So many details do not provide insight in to the story or the characters or the setting, they are just random fleeting observations.

I didn’t like that the prince is described as having a “lover,” there are better less abrupt identifiers that could have been used, or perhaps in British vernacular it isn’t as pointed as it is in the US.  I also didn’t love that they bowed down to the Evil Queen Abnus. This highlights a place where an Islamic lens would have fleshed out that the characters are Muslim, not wanting to bow, as we bow to Allah swt alone, but perhaps being struck and forced.  Other easy inclusions of Islam would be seeing the meteor shower and saying SubhanAllah, being so sick from the star hitting you and asking Allah swt to heal you, asking Allah swt for strength in a dozen scenarios the book presents.  Duas before leaving the house with people going missing, it really seemed blaringly absent given the nature of the book to not have little sprinkles woven in, yet it halts the story early on to have those labels noted. It definitely could have used some polishing to make it part of the story or characters or taken out all together.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I wouldn’t rush out to buy this book for your school, library, or home book shelf, but if you have it, there is no need to remove it.  There is not enough Islam nor literary value.  There is not even enough character development or details to show the change in the mother-daughter relationship to foster conversation.  One page they claim they have no secrets when the mother and her secrets is the bulk of the backstory, to the next page where the mother simply discloses all the letters and answers that Aya needs to move forward.

FLAGS:
Lying, sneaking out, scary evil villains, disowning, abandonment, disobeying parents, death, killing, prophecy, fortune tellers/seers, magical powers, abuse, imprisonment,

Nov25

The Slightest Green by Sahar Mustafah

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The Slightest Green by Sahar Mustafah

This adult multi generational novel weaves a narrative that will stay with the readers for the warmth and depth it explores of a fictional family that over the course of 248 pages becomes very real, and in many ways familiar through its personal focus. The book is deliberately slow as it glides through different members of the family, their backstories and different points in time. The prose highlights the plight of Palestinians but not in a didactic or call to action sort of way. The characters and their stories, and their trauma and dreams are very tied to Palestine and the occupation, but the focus on the individual and the ripple effects is what will linger. I do not know when the book was written, (it is published in November 2025) as I read a digital arc which had very minimal backmatter, but this book is set before the recent genocide and is all the more important for today’s readers in pushing back against attempted erasure of Palestinian voice, culture, and history.

Intisar is a nurse in Chicago, the only daughter of divorced parents. She lives with her mother and has not seen her father in over 20 years. Not since he left the family to return to his home in Palestine, join the resistance and after a fateful mission is forced to serve a life sentence in Gahana Prison. When he is released to live his final days before he succumbs to cancer, Intisar heads overseas to see him one last time. Her grandmother Sundus additionally needs Intisar, the only heir, to fight for her to keep her land and home, a task that Intisar is not willing to pursue. As family history is shared, daily atrocities witnessed, Intisar starts to see herself differently, and considers if she could feel at home in her father’s homeland.

Again I read an arc, but there are a few sentences that really have me hoping line edits will still occur before the final version. The book is adult, it has a Muslim drinking and serving alcohol, there is assault, sexual and physical mentioned, and yet I didn’t feel like it was sensationalized, actually felt that the author was deliberately holding back to keep the story about the family and not the larger issues. Their is quite a bit of Islam, not from every character, but it is woven in and not an identity issue. Actually one line used frequently is my only real gripe with the book. “Pray to the Prophet,” is regularly said by a few characters, so I though perhaps it is something unique to them, up until about the midpoint, where many characters start to say it and I don’t like it. It makes it clear other places that Allah swt is One and who we pray to, it has the shahada in English and verses from the Quran, so I’m guessing it is a colloquialism perhaps, or maybe a poor translation, I honestly don’t know, but it bothered me, so I am sharing.

Nov7

The Land of La La La by Sana Saghafi illustrated by Azam Vazehimogadam

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The Land of La La La by Sana Saghafi illustrated by Azam Vazehimogadam

This gorgeous and powerful 36 page picture book goes back in time to a Palestine where the struggles of today are still found, along with the resilience of the people, determination of the women, ingenuity of the children, love and hope.  The book is so strongly unapologetic in its portrayal of marbles representing strategy of kids to battle the giants aka soldiers, of children being imprisoned, of the occupiers being outsmarted by the people, and the joy that persists despite the attempts of erasure. The story within a story…within a story(?), doesn’t name Palestine until the very end, after the stories at hand have wrapped up, and doesn’t disclose that it is based on a true story, except for in the blurb.  It is also worth highlighting that the book is not OWN voice or sourced.  I still am sharing though because it is positioned as happening long ago, and thus hopefully not further erasing a Palestinian voice, but rather sharing a story to prevent it from being lost.  I do not know the author, illustrator, or publishers’ intent, this is simply my view and I am happy to be corrected if I have arrogantly overstepped.  



The book starts with a lullaby lilting through the air, the la la las, connecting the women caring for their children. Mama Laya is busy so Big Brother Bilal is playing with the children, marking which soldiers have been defeated on the paper that matches the marble game in the lane. When the giants take him away the children run to find Daddy Salim.

The searching children and family find Bilal in prison, and the giants don’t speak the language of the people to be reasoned with, so they must figure out a way to free him on their own.  Mama and the children have a picnic outside the prison and secret filled lullaby conveys the plan right under the giants’ noses. With Bilal free, the women gather to teach each other a secret way to communicate, to resist, to hope, in the lullabies that they sing.

There is no religion mentioned, but the title page begins, “In the Name of God,” and numerous characters are depicted wearing hijab.  I read a digital arc and I hope the printed version has backmatter to highlight that the author is not Palestinian, when this would have taken place, and if it is accurate.  Authenticity and accuracy are important, and I hope the book clarifies what is real, what is imagined, an where the information came from.

 

Nov4

Balti Kings by Sudha Bhuchar and Shaheen Khan

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Balti Kings by Sudha Bhuchar and Shaheen Khan

I don’t recall ever reviewing the script of a proper adult play before, and probably last read a play in college, needless to say it has been a while, and this 112 page script of a play performed 25 years ago, has me itching to dive back in to regularly attending live theater. Literary wise I love seeing the characters and plot develop with dialogue alone, and the power that every word on the page has. The play takes place in one day, in a Pakistani restaurant in Birmingham, England, and the stresses of an event happening that night is the catalyst that brings together the characters own lives, the chaos of the kitchen, the stresses of the times, and an inside view on immigrant life.

Set on Jummah, everyone seems to be religious when bosses come looking for their employees, but duas, and boundaries, and justifications also stem from Islamic practices. The owners of Balti Kings are trying to compete with Karachi Karahi in the neighborhood, their father has had a heart attack and the brothers are trying to relaunch the business with a Bollywood star studded Curryoke night and the start of their cheaper buffet. The attitudes and social hierarchy of immigrants is highlighted with the contrasting kitchen crew downstairs. A mix of ages and genders and skills, legal and soon to be illegal desi workers along with a Bosnian brother sister team, show racism and stereotypes in action.

Their personal lives spill in to the kitchen as the young Mariam finds herself expecting and coworker Nadeem denying it is his, while she is left warding off advances from her boss. The head cook is again threatening to leave for Karachi Karahi, the biriyani is burned, the stars are imposters, and the brothers have to accept the outcome of their choices.

I found myself smiling, getting irritated at characters, and appreciating the found family that the restaurant provides. I love the Foreword and Authors’ note that set the place in a time not that long ago, and show how perhaps very little has changed. The end features pictures of the play performances, as well as a glossary.

Oct31

A Tariq Twins Mystery: Murder for Two by Niyla Farook

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A Tariq Twins Mystery: Murder for Two by Niyla Farook

I don’t know what I was expecting, but woah once the actual crimes started piling up and the sleuthing began, I was invested in Riri and Ani working out their differences, solving the case, and freeing their accused dad.  At 336 pages, a full on murder, attempted murder, arson, thieving, and arrests all taking place, the book is definitely for older middle grade readers. The premise and dual points of view of 11 year old twins being reunited after 3 years apart by their divorced parents, getting to know how their OCD, ADHD, and autism factor in to their personalities, learning about TUSC, the town of Castlewick, and the side characters that will turn suspects, result in it taking the story a while to get going.  But if you can get through it, and can suspend belief, the book is a fun mystery that takes on heavy topics, and crime, but somehow keeps it light and consumable by the intended audience. The twins are Muslim, one wears hijab, and there are Islamic references, but once the identity is established, it really doesn’t play a role, or shape the characters’ view of the world or approach to dealing with their grief, anxiety, and obstacles they face.  There is mention of halal marshmallows and hijab, but they never say a quick dua or pray, and by the end is not really even shown to be a big part of their daily lives.  I have no idea if the neurodivergent rep is accurate, but the tone and approach is very positive and normalizing.  Parents may want to know that the book starts on the last day of school and the teacher is non binary, referred to as Mx Henderson with they/them/theirs pronouns. The character is mentioned a lot in the first nine pages, and then never again.  Pronouns for other characters are listed on their profile cards.  There is teasing of a girl having a crush on a boy, a few couples dating, a character being born out of wedlock, and a male character being in a relationship with someone named Toby that is mentioned a few times, but only on the final mention in the last few pages of the book, does it clarify that it is a boyfriend.  The book seems to be intentionally diverse in ethnicities, religions, identity, and orientation, but the story is a murder mystery, and a family reconnecting, and the mentions in passing are not detailed, or overly explored.  I mention all this for adults to determine what is best for their children.

SYNOPSIS:

Supersleuth Imani Tariq aka Ani lives in Castlewick with her father, Abderrazzak and spends time at Cafe Vivlio with Mrs. Kostas.  The small town is Ani’s stomping grounds for sleuthing and carrying out the cases her TUSC (Tariq Ultrasecret Supersleuth Centre) organization takes on.  She knows everyone, and everyone knows her, and she is not looking forward to spending the summer with her “evil twin” visiting from California.  Riri short for Noori, lives with her mom and is heading to the UK so her mom can set up a new office for her company, and the twins can reconnect after being apart for three years.  There is a lot of animosity in the former family of four, but the girls slowly start to rely on each other when they find Mrs. Kostas’ dead body in the secret garden, alibis not checking out, relationships coming to light and their dad being arrested for the murder.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I naively thought it would be a murder of a distant side character that the girls tried to solve, or maybe a trick and it looked like a murder, but ended up not being one, so I was really kind of shocked that in fact a murder occurred, that the girls found the body, and that the story of lies, deceit, art theft, secret identities, relationships, and webs of coincidences and manipulation was just getting started. The girls’ voices are distinct, but as they pop around doing what they do, the reader is often just expected to go along with it an not over analyze. I kind of liked that the ending spelled it all out, like a good villain in cartoons the culprit gets their moment to detail and confess what they did, how they did it and why.  In full disclosure though, with about 30 pages left in the book, I was genuinely still curious who the guilty person would be.

The book balances very real mirroring threads with absolutely bonkers ones.  The girls get counseling for grief, talk about their OCD and ADHD.  They also run circles around the police, unravel the plot through research, interviews, crime scene analysis and get the murderer to confess to only them.

The Islamic rep at the start really got me excited, but it stopped rather abruptly and there was no longer even any Assalamualaikums or walakumsalams after about the first 40 pages or so. The characters are of Pakistani decent, but I have never heard “hudafiz” as a farewell before, Allah hafiz and KhudaHafiz, yes, but never with an H.  It appears a few times in the book, and even the internet, for whatever it is worth, says it is probably a mistake.

FLAGS: (Things parents might want to know the book contains):

Murder, attempted murder, assault, framing, deceit, lying, arson, teasing, close boy/girl friendships (Muslim characters), hetero and lgbtq+ relationships, romantic interests, child out of wedlock, jealousy, revenge, name calling, parents are divorced, therapy/counseling, ADHD, anxiety, grief, abandonment, loss, OCD, autism, unemployment.

Oct20

Sameer and Snazzy: Kindness Counts by Emma L. Halim illustrated by Herry Prihamdni

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Sameer and Snazzy: Kindness Counts by Emma L. Halim illustrated by Herry Prihamdni

The 32 page faceless picture book for toddlers and up, is set in Australia and follows Sameer and his cat Snazzy on a bushwalk.  At first I felt like it might be a little bit like the classic, “And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street,” but the structured story with a repetitive refrain adds in Islamic phrases, silly encounters, and examples of kindness that make it unique.  Add in a fun surprise at the end, and like many other books by the author, be prepared to have it memorized as your little ones ask for it over and over again.

The book starts with Sameer look forward to his grandpa coming to visit, but wishing he had something exciting to share with him.  Snazzy suggests he shares that he can talk to animals, but Sameer knows no one would ever believe that, so the two set off on a bushwalk to find something exciting.

When they hear an “A-choooooo!” in the trees, the fun is just getting started with Miss Koala sneezing and making eucalyptus leaves fall. The duo finds a way to help, but the fallen leaves mean ants are stuck in their home and can’t get out.  Once again, Sameer and Snazzy, find a way to help.  After each episode the refrain of, “‘Imagine if I told Grandpa this!”‘ I say to Snazzy.  ‘He’d never believe you! he smiles.  ‘NO-ONE WOULD!’ We laugh together and continue along the path, when suddenly…”

The book ends with a surprise, that I won’t spoil. The backmatter has a reference to Surah An-Naml and explains that Prophet Sulayman peace be upon him, really could speak to animals.  There is also a glossary of the Islamic phrases and a QR code to continue to the fun after the story ends.

The book is a bit more text heavy than some of her others, but the illustrations are fun, and will keep kid’s attention.  It does not rhyme, but has a cadence that makes reading it aloud easy. The small size makes the book better suited to bed time, but could work in a story time, and would be wonderful tuned into a story board/felt board read aloud.  The book is a universal story, but at some point in Islamic fiction self published and small published books, I think we will need to have open dialogue and discussions if having characters that are not the same race as the author or illustrator is appropriate and beneficial, or is misleading and better to avoid.

***EDIT: The author reached out to me asking me to remove this generalized opinion of me calling upon the need to have discussion, I opted to amend, as I think we need to have conversation and believe intention and purpose in whatever one decides is a benefit.  So, to avoid errors in interpreting her ask, I will simply post the screen shots, and my response.  Please note I did not tag the author in my Instagram post, she reached out to me.  I purchased the book, it was not gifted.