Category Archives: STEM

Mar2

Nadia and Nadir: Ramadan Cookies by Marzieh A. Ali illustrated by Lala Stellune

Posted on March 2, 2023 by islamicschoollibrarian

This 32 page early reader is part of the Nadia and Nadir series that can be read and purchased as a standalone. It shows the sibling duo problem solving, working together, sharing, and getting excited for Ramadan. With the theme of cookies, the book could work as a read aloud in a small group with an activity of making cookies following it, but the small leveled reader size and text volume would make it a hard selection for larger groups. The setting is Ramadan, the female characters wear hijab (even in the home with just family), but there is not a lot of religious beliefs or practices included in the story. It does detail the lunar calendar and phases of the moon, but thankfully does a decent job of inserting that knowledge from Nadia who has learned about the moon in science class. There are a few salams, and it mentions that Nadir isn’t fasting because he is young, Nadia gets up for their predawn meal, and snuggles back in to bed after saying her prayers. There is articulation that Ramadan is a month for Muslims and a time to share blessings when the kids share their cookies with the neighbors. There is a handful of Urdu words sprinkled in and a glossary at the end. The book shows a family’s traditions and radiates joy, it is a solid addition to Muslim and non Muslim book shelves in showing Ramadan cookie making and excitement in action, but would not inform a lot about the religious aspects, uniqueness, or basic practices about the month.

Nadia and Nadir start the book with their binoculars around their necks waiting for Abu to arrive home from work, Ammi is already on the roof and they are determined to spot the Ramadan moon. The kids are all sorts of confused where to even look in the vast night sky, but once Abu helps them out they find it and declare, “Chand Mubarak.”

Nadir wants to know why it isn’t a full moon, and his older sister Nadia explains the cycles, they are then off to make cookies as per their families Ramadan tradition. The dough is ready, the star cookie cutter has been found, but where is the moon cookie cutter? Nadia has an idea, and sure enough her problem solving skills allow crescent moons to be made.

The next morning Nadia has her predawn meal of cookies and milk and when Nadir wakes up he has the same. The kids pack up bags of cookies with their Ammi to pass to neighbors and friends, with only one left who will get it Nadia or Nadir?

The books are available widely at places such as Amazon but for the same price I hope you will support a small Muslim owned bookstore and purchase your copy at Crescent Moon, if you use my initials ISL (Islamic School Librarian) at checkout you will save 10%, link:

Nadia & Nadir Series

Oct24

Nadia and Nadir Lunch in the Leaves by Marziah A. Ali illustrated by Lala Stellune

Posted on October 24, 2022 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Nadia and Nadir Lunch in the Leaves by Marziah A. Ali illustrated by Lala Stellune

This 32 page early reader is absolutely adorable with jumping in the leaves, sibling love, imaginary unicorns and dragons, yummy food, Pakistani culture and delightful illustrations. Books in this genre aren’t particularly known for their story telling, but with chapter breaks and relatable experiences I was absolutely pulled in to Nadia and Nadir’s world and family. My seven year old loved that he could read it independently and was delighted to see himself so reflected in the text, infact I have given in and we will be having chicken tikka and raita for dinner tomorrow, but I’m not raking the leaves, haha.

SYNOPSIS:

Siblings Nadia and Nadir are woken up by there mother with the promise of a surprise. The hints are crunchy and colorful, and when the kids realize it isn’t a giant bowl of cereal outside, they are excited to jump into the giant pile of leaves their abu has raked up in the yard. The kids dive and swim and imagine themselves to be dinosaurs and unicorns as their dad grills chicken tikka and their mom watches on shelling walnuts.

The kids bump heads and decide to play something a little safer by making faces with the leaves, branches, walnut shells, and flowers. They create a family portrait and then it is time to eat lunch and drink chai.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that it is a very recognizable family: the women are wearing hijab, urdu words are sprinkled in, and Pakistani foods are being eaten, there is no othering, all kids will enjoy the story, and Muslim and desi Muslims specifically will feel seen.

I love that there is imagination and dad cooking and hanging out in a chill environment. There is a glossary at the back, but for this demographic I actually really like it. It allows for the independent reader to use a book tool to understand a word. I also like that illustrations of the words flutter around the cartoon author and illustrator blurbs.

There are details about the trees dropping the leaves as well as why the leaves are changing color.

FLAGS:

None

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

Too young for a book club selection, but ideal to have on the shelves of a classroom library, school library, or home library.

Well done alhumdulillah. Paperback and library bound additions available here. The book is part of a series, but can be purchased individually or as a set. I plan to review each of the six books over the next few months.

Jun6

Let’s Think about Allah’s Great Garden by Ali Gator

Posted on June 6, 2022 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Let’s Think about Allah’s Great Garden by Ali Gator

At 22 pages this book’s title aptly describes the contents within: at times factual, sometimes breaking down the fourth wall and asking readers to do something engaging, at times fictionalized, and often meandering and reflective. The book is all over the place and only cohesive in theme. It has sat on my shelf untouched by my children for quite a while, but when I needed options for the library during Earth Day, this book did a great job in facilitating discussion with pre k to 1st grade. It isn’t a story time book so to speak, but it gets kids thinking and can be tailored to their level of discussion. I don’t think that is how the book was intended, and as it is written it is rather unimpressive, but when pulled apart it did serve a very specific purpose.

The book starts out with a few lines about Allah’s blessings of all things particularly trees and plants and gardens. I wasn’t sure if it was trying to rhyme or not, but I think the first lines are just incidental rhyme as the flow and words quickly unravel. It talks of climbing trees and the narrator’s father telling him to be careful. It then discusses watermelons and how they grow in the ground, not on a tree and asks readers if they can see the watermelon seeds in the illustrations.

The book focuses on the life cycle of plants: seeds, flowers, trees. Drawing on that information it then shows the little girl collecting seeds to plant. It then talks about the planting process and the needs all growing things have to prosper if Allah so wills it.

Then the book gets interesting and starts to discuss the plants mentioned in the Qur’an before returning back to the half hearted narrative remarking on how the flowers complement the color of their house.

The story seems to then end, but it isn’t denoted that the remaining pages are factual or set aside as back matter, it just pivots and begins discussing rain in Surah an-Nahl, Trees in Paradise as mentioned in Qur’an and Hadith, and then again, but this time in table form, the fruits and vegetables mentioned in the Qur’an, and highlighting dates specifically.

The book is all over the place, and I doubt it will be read again until next year. There are a few other books that have come out about his topic, and I plan to look in to them to see if they work better for story time readings and child engagement.

Mar7

Ramadan Rocket by Emma Halim illustrated by Stephen Tucker

Posted on March 7, 2022 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Ramadan Rocket by Emma Halim illustrated by Stephen Tucker

The banter in this 36 page Ramadan moon book is fun and engaging, and as the mom of five kids who was once a kid herself, the struggle is real to try and spot the Ramadan moon. Most years, frustration abounds and nothing is seen. Haarith has the same problem, but last year he did something about it. In this 36 page book for preschoolers and up, the faceless pictures will have kids giggling and their imagination’s soaring as they try and determine if Ramadan is about to begin.

Haarith loves listening to stories about Ramadan, but always has trouble seeing the Ramadan moon. Last year, he decided to get a closer look. He set out to build a rocket, but his best friend Hakeem had one he could borrow, so Haarith recruits two other friends, Jawaad and Khaleel, and plans are underway. Jawaad will pilot since he flew out of a swing last week, and Khaleel will be in charge of food because his mom makes awesome cakes. The boys head to space, passing, satellites, drones, and NASA rockets, before they see the moon and head back home. After maghrib the community heads to search the sky and when they see nothing, it is Haarith that can locate exactly what they are looking for.

I wish the moon was shown as super thin and hard to see in the illustrations, instead of as a thick crescent so that kids that might not have personal experience could at least understand why Haarith is struggling. Also, I’m not sure why the line spacing on one page is double what it is on the others. Many of the pages are text heavy and could have used some editing to tighten it up, but overall the story is fun.

The premise though sent my head spinning, and yes I’m going to show my ignorance here, you can judge me. If you go to space, the moon is spherical, the earth and shadows are no longer at play right? So wouldn’t a new moon, a full moon, or a waxing gibbous all look the same? Clearly my confidence in this matter is non existant, and while I have no problem with the characters borrowing a friend’s rocket, it has been sitting unused for a year after all, I’ve been struggling to get this point clarified in my head. And I believe it would all depend on where the rocket is and thus the boys’ point of view. According to the University of Maryland, “The reason that we do not always see a Moon which is half lit is because of our position relative to the Moon and the Sun. As the Moon moves in its orbit, different portions of it appear (to us!) to be lit up as we look at it from Earth. This is why we see lunar phases.” So I suppose that depending on the rocket’s position in space would determine if the moon looked like a “Ramadan moon” or say a third quarter moon. I’ve linked a NASA video that explains that the International Space Station sees the same phases as earth, so umm yeah, maybe I should take a break from fiction and go read some nonfiction basic science books.

Dec31

Zayd & Musa in The Trouble with School (The Story of Halal Money) by Hafsa Ahsan illustrated by Yusra bint Absar Kazmi and Urooj Khan

Posted on December 31, 2021 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Zayd & Musa in The Trouble with School (The Story of Halal Money) by Hafsa Ahsan illustrated by Yusra bint Absar Kazmi and Urooj Khan

This delightful 70 page early chapter book is filled with humor, Islam, and a sweet story that ties it all together. The book definitely has a teaching agenda, but it carries it with hilarious banter and relatable examples, all while covering a topic not often discussed in children’s books: money. The book has a few grammar, vocabulary, and consistency concerns, but they are easy to overlook for readers 2nd grade and up.

SYNOPSIS:

Twins Zayd and Musa are very, very different. Both boys enjoy cricket, but Zayd is more focused and enjoys homework, whereas Musa tends to daydream and often says something funny, but unintentionally. When Musa makes the case in Science class that food, water, shelter, and money are all needed to survive, the class finds him hysterical.

Musa knows not to argue, his teacher is his elder and he knows he should have taqwa and be respectful, but he doesn’t give up on his idea either. When the boys’ mom talks about halal money and gives them Islamic references for how money should be handled, Musa has a great idea: kids should be paid to go to school.

Once again, the whole school finds him funny, but Saeed Uncle, a neighbor who helps feed the poor at a roadside stand, doesn’t dismiss Musa’s idea and tells him, in some places kids are paid. And offers to take him and show him.

With references to sahabas who had great wealth and examples of how wealth can be used for good, Musa and Zayd learn numerous lessons, and share them with those around them, in a fun, engaging manner.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I get that the book is preachy, but in my mind, it is a story built around a teaching concept, so it doesn’t bother me. I love the jokes and the tone. At times the book is written quite formally, but being the author lives in Karachi, Pakistan, I assume that part of it, is just different standards. I appreciate the Quran Circle table that lists where the Quran mentions wealth and the glossary. I didn’t quite get all of the random facts included throughout, as some were about money, others about school, but I think kids will enjoy them none-the-less. The illustrations are enjoyable, the text bubbles often hilarious (once again, a few I didn’t get).

I liked that it mentioned not drawing faces, and not going somewhere alone with someone you aren’t close with. It is said in passing, but I love that those little nuggets exist in a book that is about something more, but normalizes and takes advantage of the opportunity to remind children of basic safety and Islamic concepts.

There are some awkward tense changes, and a few gaps in the story, but overall, I really enjoyed it and need to find the first one in the series.

FLAGS:

None

TOOLS TO LEAD THE DISCUSSION:
This would be a great book to use in a middle grades Islam class as a starting point to having students research the Quran and Sunnah to find information on a topic. The humor will keep kids engaged, and the concept is an important one. I plan to make all my kids read it, so that we can discuss as a family, and benefit from the lessons presented.

Dec20

One Sun and Countless Stars by Hena Khan illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini

Posted on December 20, 2021 by islamicschoollibrarian

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One Sun and Countless Stars by Hena Khan illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini

I don’t think that Hena Khan is necessarily a controversial figure, but some days her work feels very polarizing as some praise her ability to share OWN voice desi American Muslim stories while others feel like she waters down the very stories she is sharing to appease the majority. Irregardless of our nuanced views, many of us first were made aware of her when we we were swept away in 2012 by the mainstream book, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns. Since then she also has published a book about shapes in the same format, and now this counting book that reminds me how beautiful and powerful it is to see Islam so unapologetically presented to all children.

The author’s note at the end is important:

There are many significant numbers in Islam. They include one for God, five for the pillars of the religion and daily prayers, seven for the circles pilgrims and visitors walk around the Ka’aba during hajj and more.

Mathematics and astronomy were among the intellectual pursuits of early Muslims. They helped to develop algebra and used geometry to create the elaborate patterns found in Islamic art.

For this book, I chose concrete and illustratable terms rather than abstract concepts. The representations for each number focus on things we can count in the world around us.

The book counts the diverse and global parts of a practiced faith. The unique and the mundane, all beautifully illustrated and richly conveyed. From cups of tea and shoes taken off for prayer to two hands making dua and four lines of a surah being memorized. The book counts up to nine and then marvels at the countless stars that we see each night.

The first page is possibly a bit problematic in accuracy. The tone and framing of starting the day with the sun rising and the sound of the adhan is warm and beautiful, but the adhan is not called at sunrise for the first prayer of the day, fajr. Fajr begins at dawn. There are only 21 words on the first page, so I’m inferring a lot about the correlation of the sun and athan that may or may not be present. It is something frequently misrepresented, so it catches my attention. And yes, the seven tawafs mentioned in the author’s note would also apply to umrah, not just hajj.

Overall, the book is lovely and will remind many of us what made us all celebrate Hena Khan and her stories so many years ago.

Dec13

Environmental Sunnahs: Emulating the Prophet One Earth-Friendly Act at a Time by Alia G. Dada illustrated by Sarah Hafeez

Posted on December 13, 2021 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Environmental Sunnahs: Emulating the Prophet One Earth-Friendly Act at a Time by Alia G. Dada illustrated by Sarah Hafeez

This beautiful book explores how intertwined Islam and caring for the earth are in a kid appropriate manner. The rhyming lines and fun illustrations are accompanied at the end by very detailed sourcing, references, and tips. All non fiction or fictionalized fact books should be sourced this well, it really has set the bar, and left most books in the dust. My only real critique of the book is that I wish it was larger. The pictures and dancing text need more space to be poured over and enjoyed. The 8×8 size doesn’t do the 36 page book justice. The inside text should also be a more uniform/consistent in size. At times the rhyme is off and feels forced, but because there are facts on each page the story isn’t read consecutively. You break the rhyme scheme to ponder over the “Did you know?” sections, so the beat and cadence isn’t super important. Overall, a well-done book to share and discuss with children ages 5 and up, and a great reference, resource, and memorable teaching tool to bring us all closer to the prophetic mannerisms we strive to emulate.

The book starts off with a message by naturalist, Director of the Art and Wilderness Institute and author of “How to Draw 60 Native CA Plants and Animals, a Field Guide (and my former childhood penpal) Sama Wareh. It then jumps in to exploring the miracle of nature on land and under the sea. It shows desert landscapes, and mountainous ones, jungles, and farms, valleys and cities.

The book talks about water: Zam Zam and wudu and where clean water comes from. How little water we should use according to hadith and how to respect all living things. It talks about Prophet Sulaiman (as) showing kindness to even an ant. And how planting a tree is charity. It shares information about reusable goods, limiting waste, and understanding eco systems.

The book concludes with easy to read Hadith references, Quranic references, a glossary, and action items.

Dec6

Girls Who Code by Stacia Deutsch and Michelle Schusterman

Posted on December 6, 2021 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Girls Who Code by Stacia Deutsch and Michelle Schusterman

I sadly think that it is safe to say that whenever you see a book that features a cast of characters meant to include multiple minority groups, certain representation is going to read more generic and formulaic than others. Translation: just because you see a hijabi on the cover, do not rush out to obtain, purchase, and read the entire series. Chances are if a scarf wearing Muslim is being featured, the details will be simplistic, the rep mediocre, and the OWN voice emotion lacking. Also know, that other minority groups will have similarly been included for their surface level representation and not necessarily for any real depth. This includes the boxes to be checked for Black, Hispanic, Asian, and LGBTQ+ storylines, characters, and/or side references. This is a sweeping generalization, and inshaAllah when I am proven wrong, I will happily point those books out too. This series hopes to appeal to middle grade female readers (AR 4.0-4.6) with an emphasis on coding, but not so much on how it is done or how they learn it, but how it helps them in their other passions and dramas. I read books two and four, since the Muslim character is not introduced until book two and I wanted to see how she is developed as the series advances. Each book is told from a different girl’s perspective so it is assumed that book five, could be Leila’s, but honestly with the focus on crushes, dances, and relationships, I won’t be sticking around to find out.

SYNOPSIS:

BOOK 2: TEAM BFF: RACE TO THE FINISH! is told from Sophia’s perspective. She is hispanic, has lots of little sisters, loves sports and has a lot of responsibility. The original four girls reach out to Leila, a new girl from Pakistan to join their coding team and even end up naming their robot Zahira. When Soph is forced to take care of her siblings instead of go to the hackathon, she will have to learn to ask for help and lean on others when she can’t do everything herself. It also means she will have to take charge with the upcoming dance and ask Sammy out herself.

BOOK 4: SPOTLIGHT ON CODING CLUB: The school is doing a new virtual format for the talent show and that means that the coding club has to design a website, an app, and collect all the data. They don’t have much time, and with everyone’s time stretched thin with other obligations, Erin keeps volunteering to do more. Her hope is that if she is so busy she can’t think, her anxiety won’t flare up and she won’t stress too much about her dad who is deployed on a secret mission. When their teacher announces that she is leaving, the group seems to be falling apart as well, and something will have to give.

WHY I LIKE IT:

The first two books are written by one author, and then three is written by someone else, as is book four. The writing quality of book four is much better, and the insight in to mental illness, divorced parents, a parent actively deployed, and being stretched too thin, will resonate a lot stronger with readers, than the more whiney presentation of the second book. Each book seems to also present with a new crush storyline: in the second book it is Sophia recognizing changing feelings for a friend, and in book four it is a lesbian crush that has the side characters angsty. I wish more about the girls as individuals was stressed rather than having them all be defined by their hundreds of hobbies and extracurriculars. I was exhausted just imagining all the places they have to be in a week and the frantic pace they must keep to ensure they get there. I get that the demographic is probably giggly over crushes, but honestly they seem so forced and unnecessary in books that already have a lot of moving parts.

FLAGS:

Lying, crushes (gay and straight), anxiety triggers, stress.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I don’t know that I would even shelve these in an Islamic School, the idea is good, the execution not so much.

Sep17

Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds by Samira Ahmed

Posted on September 17, 2021 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds by Samira Ahmed

Make sure you are sitting in a comfy spot when you crack open this middle grades fantasy adventure, because it hits the ground running from the very beginning and doesn’t let up over 368 pages. The like-able and relatable brother sister duo snarkily banter and bicker about everything from cultural Indian (Desi) folklore, religious stories, Marvel, Lord of the Rings, He-Man, Arabic Sesame Street, Star Wars, hygiene, fears, potential science fair projects, and food, all while battling jinn, devs, peris, and reality as they work to save the worlds. The book is chalked full of STEM concepts, cultural touchstone, Islamic footholds, pop culture, and fun, as one character remarks, it is the ultimate fan fiction. I regularly Googled people, references, and concepts, and ended up learning quite a bit. And don’t fret if you ever get lost or confused, or something doesn’t make sense, you don’t have to worry that you missed something or that the author left a gap in the narrative, the book moves quick and Amira’s constant dialogue and commentary points out all the ridiculousness of what they are experiencing and the questions that she wishes she had time to ask, explore, and discover. The author never loses control of the narrative, and keeps the world building on level without skimping on details and understanding. I have not loved any of the author’s previous books in their entirety, I think this one, however, is her best one yet, and the switch to middle grades is a good fit.

SYNOPSIS:

Twelve-year-old Amira and her 10-year-old brother Hamza are heading to the Shriner’s Madinah Temple in their hometown of Chicago to explore the exhibit of Ancient Astronomy artifacts, or as Hamza calls it “tools that belonged to dead Muslim Astrologers.” Hosted by the Islamic Society of Ancient Astronomy corresponds with the eclipse viewing party of the incredibly rare super blood blue moon. In typical Hamza fashion however, a Nerf gun is brought and things are touched. When Amira is tasked with bringing her brother up to the roof to learn how to use the telescopes, the two scuffle over a small box with a tiny moon inside, a series of snatching and tussling between the siblings cause the Box of the Moon to break, or rather start working. As day turns to night, the moon seems to be breaking a part, and everyone in the world is suspended in sleep except for Amira and Hamza, and an entire jinn army is heading their way.

When jinn leaders Abdul Rahman and Maqbool reach the children they must convince them that they are not there to harm them, but rather to recruit them as the chosen ones to save the worlds: Qaf and Earth and the barrier, the moon, that keeps the realms separate from destruction at the hands of Ifrit. The confusion over there being two of them creeps up, but is squashed as Suleiman the Wise left tests to prove that the chosen one is properly equipped to battle Iftrit as it has been prophesized. The children must work together to prove themselves they must then actually seek out and defeat Ifrit. As tests and challenges arise, it becomes clear (pun intended) that the two are not the chosen ones, but with no option of turning back they must forge ahead none-the-less.

“What? We’re Indian, dude, we were basically born half doctor.”

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love Amira and Hamza’s banter. The references are at times laugh out loud funny. Similarly, I was impressed by all the historical and STEM concepts intertwined in the story, there is even a tiny bit about mental health. I learned about parts of the moon, historical figures, folklore, and more. The characters are Muslim, Amira wears Ayatul Kursi around her neck and they talk of Sunday school. The book isn’t religious though, in they aren’t saying Bismillah before they embark on things, or supplicating when in danger, but they greet different beings with peace, and the framing is clearly from an Islamic paradigm. I think the high speed pacing works for most of the book, and somehow you still get to know and connect with the characters, but at times a slight pause to clarify a point would have been nice. I would have liked to have the kids proving they were the chosen ones a bit more articulate and dramatic before hand rather than in retrospect. I feel like the jinn transportation of cauldrons could have used a bit of backstory as well. And a little fleshing out of the scroll, the government structure and communication methods of Qaf, would have helped some of the transitions between the action. I read a digital ARC and it had a page reserved for a map, and I think when the physical book comes out that will be really helpful, as I didn’t quite fully understand the 18 realms and their locations in comparison to the locations the children encounter.

FLAGS:

UPDATE: I TOOK THIS BOOK AS COMPLETE FICTION. THAT THE ISLAMIC PREMISE WAS A STARTING OFF POINT, AND DIDN’T DWELL TOO MUCH ON THE ACCURACY. I READ AN ADVANCED READER COPY OF THE BOOK THAT DID NOT HAVE ALL THE SUPPLEMENTAL AUTHOR’S NOTES AND RESOURCES AT THE END. I WAS UNAWARE THAT THE AUTHOR FELT SHE WAS INCOPERATING FACT AND ACCURACY IN THIS INCREDIBLY FICTIONALIZED BOOK. AND AS A RESULT I AM NERVOUS TO SUGGEST THIS BOOK TO THE MIDDLE GRADE INTENDED AUDIENCE. IF YOU HAVE A MUSLIM CHILD THAT IS WELL VERSED ON PROPHET SULAIMAN, THE CONCEPT OF FICTION, AND IS OLDER THAN THE IMPRESSIONABLE EIGHT OR NINE YEAR OLD INTENDED AUDIENCE, ONLY THEN PERHAPS WOULD THIS BOOK WORK FOR YOU. IT WOULD BE VERY MISLEADING IF YOUR CHILD TAKES THE TWISTED STORY AS FACTUAL AND BASED ON THE NOTES AND RESOURCES AT THE END, THIS VERY WELL COULD HAPPEN. To read more about the concerns you can click here and head over to Muslim Mommy Blogs take on the book.

There is magic and magical beings. A transgendered jinn. It mentions Amira and Hamza celebrating Halloween. Death and fighting.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I think this would be a great audio book to listen to with the family or a read aloud in a middle grades classroom. It is too young for middle school readers to not find it slightly predictable, but if you had it on a classroom or home shelf I am sure it would be picked up, read, enjoyed by middle grades and middle schoolers alike. It reads much like the Rick Riordan Presents series and I hope that there are more books featuring Amira and Hamza in the future.

Sep13

The Tale of a Tiny Droplet by Ally Daanish illustrated by Oana Cocheci

Posted on September 13, 2021 by islamicschoollibrarian

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The Tale of a Tiny Droplet by Ally Daanish illustrated by Oana Cocheci

I would imagine if you were to pitch the idea of this book it would go very favorably. A raindrop goes on an adventure to a desert kingdom after facing adversity for being small, an ocean wave wants to consume her, a chance encounter with a grain of sand and confidence in Allah swt to keep them safe leads to refuge being offered in an oyster who journeys them through the ocean to salam its inhabitants only to wash up near the palace and at the feet of a prince who has been searching for a treasure for his mother’s crown. The problem comes in its delivery. It is told in rhyme that is incredibly forced and trying to do too much. It is a 32 page children’s picture book trying to blend religion, science, adventure, and two points of view. It needs to be clear, not concerned with a rhyme scheme that muddles the themes. The book has potential and with the QR code and online teaching resources I could see an Islamic school teacher using this to explain how a pearl is formed and the incredibleness of one of Allah’s creations, but it will take a lot of outside explanation. I am confident that no four to six year old is going to independently understand clearly what is going on. I myself had to read it multiple times to figure out what was going on, and even then I found more holes, inconsistencies, and head shaking then there should have been in a large, glossy, well illustrated, effort filled book.

A tiny droplet wants to be free, but this personified little water being’s friends tell her only great things live in the kingdom and she is too small. Not sure how greatness and physical size become synonymous, but they do apparently. So, on a windy day, the raindrop jumps out of the sky to join the ocean as a means to reach the kingdom. A hurricane, or wind gale, catches her and she collides with a grain of sand. But the pov switches, and the sand collides with her and it hurts the sand. Grain apologizes and Droplet says not to worry she she is heading to the ocean too. Grain warns her that the ocean isn’t safe, that there is a big wave who will consume them. Droplet says she isn’t afraid and trusts Allah swt will keep them safe. The wave threatens to chase them with all its pride (?) if they dare to run and hide. The pair find an oyster to hide in and they swim with the tide. The oyster is bothered by their tiny feet so he throws them a blanket. The wave continues to give chase, but they trust Allah swt and after months and days they wash up on the kingdoms shore.

The book then pivots and focuses on a young prince who is searching for a gem for his mother the Queen. Her crown has lost its shine. He has travelled for months and day through mountains and valleys to no avail. One day while walking, back home on the beach, he hears voices hoping for safety from the wave. Droplet and Grain think the wave has perhaps finally got them, but it is the prince opening the oyster and finding just the gem he needs. The book concludes with the pearl saying “Alhumdulillah” to the distant stormy sky, “All things can live in the kingdom and its palace rising high.”

So my questions, first I’m not sure how a droplet isn’t free, is there only one wave in the ocean? Who is talking at the end, obviously the anthropomorphism as a science lesson kind of hits a dead end, it went from two talking objects to one new talking object, so thats creepy. Wouldn’t it have been better to end when the gem was found and then have an info or fact page highlighting how pearls are made, having two distinct characters morph into one is a bit jarring story wise. The concept of the kingdom not allowing in little things, and then concluding that all things are welcome, is also so painfully underdeveloped. Even little readers are going to find that assumption so off the mark. I like that they trust Allah, but Droplet keeps saying she isn’t scared, but continues to run? swim? The duo don’t want to be consumed, but essentially aren’t they consumed by the oyster? The Pearl feels like it beat the wave despite its size, but it was the other drops that were telling Droplet she was too small, not the wave.

All confusion aside, my kids and I might just not be the ideal readers. My six year old didn’t know what a pearl was, so he was incredibly confused. I thought the book was going to be about the water cycle, so it took me a minute to realize that wasn’t where the story was going. There is a QR code on the front and if you go to the website a number of resources are available https://www.lotehouse.com/product-page/the-tale-of-a-tiny-droplet. I wish there was info within the binding though to explain the process of sand and water in an oyster making a pearl and I wish a heavy handed editor would have cleaned up the text. Sadly, a potential great book mixing adventure, science and deen just really missed the mark.