This adorable simple nonfiction highlight of the founder of the world’s first university still existing, The University of Al-Qarawiyyin, is perfect for preschool/kindergarteners and up. The brightly illustrated, large minimal text passages spread out over 16 glossy pages breathes life in to a remarkable character and celebrates an accomplishment that every one should be familiar with and inspired by, inshaAllah.
The story starts by establishing little Fatima’s love of learning. She learns from books, her family and from the people in her city. When her family moves from Tunisia to Fez in Morocco, Fatima is excited to learn new things.
Every day she goes to the mosque to read and meet new people. Her father supports her, and when he passes away she is left with his wealth. She decides to use the money to rebuild the mosque.
She recalls that ‘iqra’ is not just about gaining knowledge, but is also sharing what you have learned with others. She purchases the land around the mosque and builds a university. It is documented as being the first institution to issue educational degrees.
I wish the story was slightly more fleshed out with detailing more about her family and her influences, about her overcoming some obstacles and even how long she lived for. I know the target audience has a short attention span, but a few details even little ones can relate to will connect them to such an important figure and inspire the readers to dream big and make a difference.
This book is the first in the WomanKind series. A new series to tell stories about Muslim women who made history.
A nonfiction picture book for teens that features amazing women from ancient times to the present day. Many of the women featured are Muslim and each entry receives a teasing summation page with a full page portrait from one of five international artists before a two page, more in-depth biography is presented. The 112 pages feature an introduction, and a map to start the book off, and acknowledgements and a glossary at the end. There are large time gaps that I wish would have been commented on, the geographical pool includes India which surprised me, and in one of the entries the way hijab is discussed seemed judgmental to me, but other than that the stories are absolutely remarkable. There are amazing women in every culture and throughout all time periods, but to see one that highlights a region that is stereotypically oppressive to women is a sight for sore eyes. I learned so much and marveled at the intellect, bravery and determination shown from being rulers of empires to intellectuals to scientists and artists everything in between.
I am confident that every Muslim child has imagined their prayer rug at one time or another to be a flying carpet, so how absolutely heart filling as an adult to find a book that embraces this idea, roots it in Islamic fact and presents it so beautifully for our littlest Muslim believers.
