Category Archives: preschool

Jul16

Controlling Your Anger by Saaliha & Ali

Posted on by
Standard
Controlling Your Anger by Saaliha & Ali

anger cover

I love little picture books for toddlers and early elementary kids that introduce children to Akhlaaq, good manners and characters.  The book’s tone, however, seemed a bit off to me, so I put it away a month ago and pulled it out again today to read it, knowing I would have forgotten most of my initial thoughts, but somehow, they resurfaced with a vengeance, unfortunately.  And while the pictures and binding and theme are all absolutely wonderful in this 23 page book, I didn’t like the main character at all, and being it is based on a real person, a child, I feel awful saying that.

anger

Saaliha starts the book keeping her anger just under the surface as her friend Hannah has borrowed and lost her pencil.  Hannah says she’ll look for it after lunch, and Saaliha controls her anger and basically says that it needs to be found now because it is the right thing to do.  All of that is fine, but for some reason she seems bossy and controlling and I really don’t know why.  Maybe because once they look for the pencil and then find it, Saaliha gives her peer (and thus the reader) a teaching moment by saying that she knew she didn’t lose it on purpose.  Hannah’s response is more believable when she feels embarrassed and admits she should be more careful, but I found Saaliha’s reaction smug because she was so close to getting mad, and then to be self-righteous about it, seemed a little passive aggressive to me.  

anger3

As the book continues, Saaliha recounts that accidents can happen at any time and to not get mad, which is great, it gives the example of when her younger brother Ali, accidentally knocked her ice cream out of her hand with his basketball or when he broke her pencil.   She seems to have a thing with pencils, there should have been a different example.

anger2

It then moves on to an incident with a friend, Jalal, who took a donut without asking, but it was an accident for not asking as he normally asks.  The repetition of the word accident here, I get is to carry the concept, but that doesn’t seem like an accident, it seems like he forgot, and an apology should have been in order, not Saaliha having to justify it solely.  Being it is a book about Akhlaaq I feel like the illustration of Jalal winking and eating the donut, seemed off.  

anger1

I like that Saaliha reminds her friends not to get angry as anger comes from Shaitan, but then when the book says she always says A’uthu Billahi Mina Shaitan Nir Rajeem to keep her anger in check, one wonders why in the opening scenario she didn’t say it.

I can’t pinpoint why I didn’t love this book, or maybe I just didn’t like the main character and I would probably give the series another try, but I’d like to hear your thoughts if you have read the book, and more importantly what your children thought of it.

 

Jul2

Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan illustrated by Sarah Walsh

Posted on by
Standard
Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan illustrated by Sarah Walsh

Hats_of_Faith_Sm_1024x1024

How fun to find similarities between groups that on the surface might seem so very different.  This 7×7, 14 page board book, keeps it simple and perfect for toddlers starting to notice people all the way through to early elementary children making connections around them.

Each page shows a portrait style illustration with a warm smiling face and the repetitive text of identifying what the name of the “hat” is followed by who wears it.

The opening page states that ” Many religious people share the custom of covering their heads to show their love for God.” And concludes by saying that “Learning about each other makes it easy to be more understanding.  Being understanding helps us spread love and peace.”

hats_of_faith_deensquare_04.jpg

Muslims are mentioned and depicted on the hijab page, the topi page, and on the head wrap page.  The book shows Muslims, Sikhs, Rastafarian, Jewish, and African Christians, it shows both men and women and offers phonetical pronunciations when necessary.

 

Jun18

Jameelah Gets Dressed by

Posted on by
Standard
Jameelah Gets Dressed by

FullSizeRender (62)

These books in the Mini Mu’min Dua Series are a great way to introduce familiar concepts in an Islamic framework to preschoolers and teach them the accompanying duas for them.  I previously reviewed Sajaad is Sick, which pleasantly surprised me, and this book proved that the series has consistency and value.

FullSizeRender (63)

The pictures are colorful, but basic, there are no faces or people included.  The text rhymes, yet has a nice cadence that doesn’t seem overly forced throughout the 38 pages.  The book is large, 8×10, with a glossary cover, and decent weight and binding.

This book includes a few footnotes: defining hijab, giving the ayats for the commandment to draw your veil over your bodies, the hadith about starting with your right, etc.  There are four duas included, the one for getting dressed, the one for wearing something new, the dua for when someone else wears something new, and the dua for getting undressed.

FullSizeRender (64)

 

Jun14

It’s Jummah! The Sunnah and Etiquettes of Friday! by Najia Rastgar & Lyazzat Mukhangaliyeva illustrated by Zainab Arshad

Posted on by
Standard
It’s Jummah! The Sunnah and Etiquettes of Friday! by Najia Rastgar & Lyazzat Mukhangaliyeva illustrated by Zainab Arshad

jummah cover

This is a very straight forward toddler board book about what you should do on Jummah.  The simple text, the blocky pictures and the overall size and feel of the book make it a great teaching tool for establishing routine. 

jum4

The book is 10 pages and measures at about 6×6 inches.  It is very sturdy and solid and perfect for babies up to 2 or 3 years old.

jum1

The day starts with waking up for jummah, taking a bath, reading Quran and praying in the mosque.

jum

I like that it is completely linear, and that the words under the pictures offer the Islamic vocabulary.  There are also no faces in the pictures. There isn’t a story, but the opening line of “Let’s wake up!” make your little one the star.  

jum3

There aren’t a lot of toddler board books out there, and thankfully this one doesn’t have any flaps to lift up or more text than a one year old can handle.  

Jun11

Zaydo Potato: A Muslim Superhero by Randa Taftaf and Maz Galini illustrated by Lovyaa Garg

Posted on by
Standard
Zaydo Potato: A Muslim Superhero by Randa Taftaf and Maz Galini illustrated by Lovyaa Garg

img_0531.jpg

This is the second review of a Zaydo Potato book on the blog, and much like the first book this one caters to toddler and early elementary aged children who will enjoy the large colorful pages, the silliness of finding a potato on each page, and who can benefit from the repetition of events to understand a concept.  In this 32 page book the concept being conveyed is taking care of each other, as established by the hadith at the beginning of the book.

zayd

Zaydo and Raya dress up as superheroes, but find their power in saving the day involves using their capes, and masks, and belts, and gloves, to help those around them who can benefit more. They use a bandana to sling a hurt arm, a towel cape to cover a spill, and silly gloves to make a baby stop crying.   They call themselves Muslim Superheroes and after showing the reader that it is good to help one another, praise Allah, and do what is right, they ask if you want to join their force.

zayd2

I read the book to my own children and then to a group of about 25 kids under the age of 6 and it went over pretty well.  The amount of text on a page is sufficient to convey the repetitive scenarios.  Honestly, I don’t really understand why the book takes place in Ramadan.  Other than the first page saying that they are the fasters of Ramadan days, and the last page repeating it, there is nothing Ramadan specific about the story.  In fact the Grandma is drinking tea on the first page, so yes maybe she is excused, but it is a bit confusing to have the Ramadan element in there when it is not a facet of the story at all. 

zayd1

The word ‘super’ is used a lot, and if reading it aloud can get your tongue a bit tied.  I also don’t understand why Raya has a last name or second part to her name, Raya Amaraya, maybe to go with the rhyming of Zaydo Potato? Either way by adding super, before their names, and the rhyming second name, I felt like a lot of the book was just saying names. The only other critique of an other wise solid book about teaching kids how to truly be super in a practical way, is that the Grandma is in a lot of the pictures in the background sewing so that when she surprises them with real costumes, the kids can enjoy going back and see she was working on them the whole time.  Except I thought, my kids thought, and the story time kids all thought she was knitting, and the costumes don’t look knitted, so it is a bit jarring.  On closer inspection there is just one needle, not two, but it is really large, almost crochet hook size, so a sewing machine illustration would have been a much better choice.

zayd3

The activities and lessons at the end and the founding premise of the book really make the book an important one to share with your little ones.  The binding and glossy pictures of smiling children having fun will entertain and educate them at the same time.  My critiques are small, but I feel like a few test readings by the authors, and the minor quirks could have been eliminated all together.  

zayd4

 

Jun5

Hassan and Aneesa Celebrate Eid by Yasmeen Rahim illustrated by Omar Burgess

Posted on by
Standard
Hassan and Aneesa Celebrate Eid by Yasmeen Rahim illustrated by Omar Burgess

hassan.jpeg

So, cute, mashaAllah, I remember last year when I read about these two siblings celebrating Ramadan how pleasantly surprised I was by their relatable sweet story, and once again, I am thrilled that such a little book packs so much information in a fictionalized story to smile at.  Really its size is my only criticism, the book is tiny in size at 7 inches by 8.  The length of 24 pages is fine, its just hard to read it to a group, and really is only ideal for bedtime (not that I won’t read it to a group of kids, its just hard).  Even the price is fabulous, alhumdulillah, and also available in the public library.  Overall, the book is pretty sweet.

handa

Hassan and Aneesa are getting ready for Eid after a month of fasting.  Their parents are having a party so there is a lot to do to get ready, cleaning, cooking, sampling food, and wrapping gifts. The morning of eid is chaos with everyone running around (so relatable)!  They finally are out the door and heading to the park to pray outside, following Prophet Muhammad’s example.  They listen to the imam give a speech about sharing food and then its off to hug everyone and wish one another an Eid Mubarak.

handa1

When everyone heads to the siblings home, you see kids having fun, dad cooking, and presents being exchanged.  After everyone leaves, they take food to the neighbors, as the imam reminded and the fictional family concludes a wonderful eid that they don’t want to end.

anda2

There is a glossary at the back and the pictures are colorful, bright, and expressive.  While there isn’t a plot or any character development, the situations the kids find themselves are relatable.  The joking that Aneesa will help her mom by sampling the food, and the picture at the end of the kids playing in a messy room with the parents passed out from exhaustion on the couch is pretty fun. 

handa4

There are a few books out there that timeline an eid day, but this one does it well. Kids two and up will enjoy the excitement and feel ready to celebrate eid themselves.  It shows the holiday as fun and desirable and something to look forward to.  Because the kids are in a handful of books, it also does create some identity confidence, as kids see themselves in the various situations that Aneesa and Hassan explore.

Jun2

Eid by Maria Migo

Posted on by
Standard
Eid by Maria Migo

eid cover

This linear story works great for toddlers that might not remember what a typical eid day is like, or those that do well to know what to expect.  There isn’t a ton of detail, but each page has a sentence or two that move the story from spotting the moon, to putting on new clothes, going for prayers, opening presents, and falling asleep at the end of the day dreaming of next year.

eid4

The gentle pictures convey that Eid is a time of family and love, but don’t necessarily convey that chaos and excitement of the day.  The kids are smiling, as are their parents, and the interaction is playful and safe.  I feel like this book is really ideal for kids with anxiety or that need some reassurance when their daily schedule is altered.  For kindergarten kids and older for the most part, I think they might find the book a glorified timeline list.  After one reading, I’m sure they will not ask for another nor remember much from the 32 page book.

IMG_0478

As seems to be the unwritten rule for books like this, the story is framed through a brother sister duo, however the simplicity of the text doesn’t name them, nor give them any role other then to show what an Eid day is like.  

FullSizeRender (100)

I like that they do go to the mosque and that it remarks that it is a little squished.  I also like that it mentions Eid is in summer, and implies that it isn’t always, something that could be discussed with older readers.  It doesn’t clarify if it is Eid al Fitr or Eid al Adha, so it would work for both.  The hard back binding and size are beautiful and ideal for story time and bedtime.  

FullSizeRender (99)

It isn’t my favorite book, but there is nothing wrong with it.  The Muslim Children’s Books publisher seems to have changed the cover, I’m not sure if anything else has changed.  The book would be a great addition to a book shelf, or in an Eid basket, but I don’t know that it has the wow-power to be a great stand alone gift or book to generate excitement for the blessed holiday.  

 

 

May28

Raihanna’s First Time Fasting by Qamaer Hassan illustrated by Yasushi Matsuoka

Posted on by
Standard
Raihanna’s First Time Fasting by Qamaer Hassan illustrated by Yasushi Matsuoka

FullSizeRender (94)

By this time in Ramadan I’ve read a lot of very similar books that all seem to have slightly different takes on presenting the basics with various degrees of turning them into a fictionalized story.  Each have their own flavor and approach and this story in many ways is for mature little kids and works to bring a slightly deeper understanding to Ramadan and helping the less fortunate.  At 36 pages long, most of the pages are heavy on text, but not overly preachy or dense.  Dialogue and emotion fill the paragraphs, and the book works to establish Raihanna as an actual character, not just a foil to move from one Ramadan fact to another. This is also apparent, as a new Riahanna book has just come out, Raihanna’a Jennah, in making her the lead in a series.

FullSizeRender (95)

Raihanna is excited to be fasting this year, after establishing that the crescent must be sighted and that suhoor is the meal to start the fast, Raihanna puts on her hijab to pray.  She asks for forgiveness for being deceitful to get another cookie and asks Allah to make her and her friend able to go ice skating.  At bedtime it also mentions that she says her three kuls before going to sleep.  

FullSizeRender (98)

All her excitement starts to falter at school, however, when the teacher hands out chocolate chip cookies for snack and Raihanna has to explain she is fasting.  By the time she gets home from school she is not sure she even knows why she is fasting as her stomach rumbles and her mood is pretty sour.  Mom jumps in to action and takes her to a soup kitchen where the two of them, along with others, serve food to the homeless. 

FullSizeRender (97)

At iftaar time Raihanna understands how blessed she is to be surrounded by family and food, and makes a more heartfelt dua.  The book ends with letting the reader know that Raihanna spends the next 29 days loving Ramadan and being appreciative.

I love that it really picks one specific aspect of Ramadan and focuses on it in a tangible way, the poor and hungry.  Yes, she prays and recites Quran and all, but establishes that she probably does that every day out side of Ramadan as well.  I like that the author also shows that it is ok that Ramadan is hard.  There is a bit more insight and understanding in this book than just the typical list of facts.  I think ages kindergarten through 2nd grade, kids that are starting to fast will get the most of it, and relate the most to Raihanna.  It could work for non Muslims, with a bit of context of belief or just read a different Ramadan book first, but the target audience is Muslim kids.

FullSizeRender (96)

The beautiful cartoonish pictures are bright and engaging.  I have no idea why it bothered me that the characters wore the same clothes everyday, or at least the two days that the story covers, but it kind of did. I like that the dad sets the table and helps in the food prep and parenting.  The list of family members and all the dishes seems unnecessary, but with the glossary at the back it does offer a bit of culture to be conveyed.  There is also a little reader response at the end.   

May21

Ilyas and Duck: Ramadan Joy by Omar S. Khawaja illustrated by Leo Antolini

Posted on by
Standard
Ilyas and Duck: Ramadan Joy by Omar S. Khawaja illustrated by Leo Antolini

FullSizeRender (88).jpg

The fourth book in the popular Ilyas & Duck series is perfect for instilling joy about Ramadan, and excitement in overcoming Mr. Mean.  But first readers along with Ilyas and Duck, will have to understand what fasting means, realize that it is hard and not all fun, learn some Arabic words and concepts such as compassion, empathy, and gratitude, before they can save the neighborhood from a menacing villain wanting to destroy the blessings of Ramadan.

FullSizeRender (87)

As always, with Ilyas and Duck, the rhyming book asks questions that kids think about and is silly in a way that they can relate to.  The illustrations are bright and engaging and the hardback book is 38 pages of fun and information, perfect for ages 5 and up. 

FullSizeRender (86)

The book starts with the ayat from the Qur’an that says, “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous” (chapter 2, verse 283).  The book concludes with a mock newspaper spread of the Current Times, full of tidbits about the crescent moon, benefits of fasting, Ilyas and Duck Ramadan cards, a crossword puzzle, and a classified add for Eid Goodie Bags posted by an anonymous, Mr. “M.”

FullSizeRender (85)

The book cleverly conveys how a day of Ramadan is practiced without getting preachy.  It shows Ilyas and Duck, praying and eating dates and decorating and getting excited.  the women wear hijab, but nothing about singling out that this is a part of Islam or Muslims is really mentioned.  The reader just is going along with Ilyas and his pal Duck.  It does remark that Allah is the provider and fasting helps build your relationship with Allah, but not to the point that it would seem preachy or alienating to non Muslim children.  Meaning I think you could read this book to your child’s public school class, or scout troop and not have any problems, while similarly giving a Muslim child an awesome story to identify with.

FullSizeRender (84)

A lot of the behavior details of what one should and shouldn’t do in Ramadan actually come from Mr. Mean, as he like all villains, lays out his evil plan.  He is hoping to spray a poison that will make kids play instead of pray, and he is leaving cookies around to tempt kids to break their fast.  He is also planning to spread rumors, and encourage gossip, and get kids to make promises they cannot keep.  Alhumdulillah, Sheriff Ilyas and Deputy Duck run him out of town because “there’s no room for meanness, only goodness in Ramadan.”

May17

Owl & Cat Ramadan Is. . . by Emma Apple

Posted on by
Standard
Owl & Cat Ramadan Is. . . by Emma Apple

owl and cat ramadan.jpg

Seventy-four pages, with about that many words, conveying what Ramadan is, and how it is practiced to the youngest of listeners. Emma Apple once again in her simple, yet colorful drawings of Owl and Cat holds toddlers’ interest as she effectively conveys the feeling of what Ramadan is like to muslim and non muslim children.  With so many factual based books about Ramadan and how it is practiced, this nice change of pace shows a lot of the feels and activities in an incredibly streamlined way.

FullSizeRender (75)

The book starts with an opening page that tells about Ramadan before establishing the rhythm of each page starting with “Ramadan is…” and then concluding the sentence with one, two or four words to describe the blessed month.

FullSizeRender (77)

The illustrations show the two characters doing the things mentioned with their little owl and cat friends, praying, eating, learning, taking naps, etc.. The book is heartfelt, funny, and informative with its sparse wording and simplicity.

FullSizeRender (78)

I was thrilled to find it in the public library, and glad to know that there are now more books in the series, alhumdulillah, as well as a workbook to accompany this one.

FullSizeRender (76)