Tag Archives: astronaut

Feb4

Maymoona’s Moon: A Special Eid Story by Razeena Omar Gutta illustrated by Zayneb Haleem

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Maymoona’s Moon: A Special Eid Story by Razeena Omar Gutta illustrated by Zayneb Haleem

I love the illustrations of this book and have been trying to get it since it released in Australia to no avail, it finally is being released here in America and the 32 page hardback book is so cute to look through.  The story is, well, sigh.  It isn’t bad or wrong, but for a religious centered book, it has no Islam, no Eid feels, no faithful reliance.  Rather than using religion to bring the sighting of the moon to little Muslims and non Muslims, and blending it with the protagonists desire to be an astronaut as the framing of the story, it just focuses on the celestial intrigue.  “Cosmic compasses,” “galactic goggles,” and a cheering squad are needed for “Operation Galaxy Gaze,” there are no “Bismillahs” or “Alhumdulillahs” when looking for the moon, and ultimately seeing it.  Again, it isn’t wrong, it just seems a little unfortunate.  This book will be read in Islamic and public schools, libraries, and everywhere else children, preschool to early elementary, gather with hopes of hearing a Ramadan or Eid story.  I’m just fairly confident, none will leave knowing what Eid is, or why it is important to Muslims.  They will get that Maymoona loves the stars, there is an “inshaAllah” when she dreams of being an astronaut some day, but even the backmatter entitled, “Why is Seeing the Moon so Important for Eid?” focuses on just that, the seeing of the moon, not the month of Ramadan ending and Eid joy prevailing.  I know I’m harsh when it comes to Islamic rep, this one just skirted the line of telling us about searching for the moon, leaving Ramadan behind, and the excitement of Eid, when it so easily could have shown us, and left a lasting impression long after the book closed.

The book starts with the sights and sounds of Eid approaching. There is only one thing left to do and that is something Maymoona takes very seriously, looking for the moon.  It is the most exciting part of Eid for her, as she dreams of being a future astronaut.  She assembles her team to plot and plan, her gear to give her the best chance of success, and she squashes her nerves and makes her ascent to the best vantage point.  And then she waits, patiently to see if the wind will move the clouds, if her dreams of landing on the moon will come to fruition, if tomorrow will be Eid.

The large 8.5 x 11 pages with a matte finish make this book easy to share in small groups or at bedtime, and really let the pictures charm the audience on each and every spread.

Jun29

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed illustrated by Stasia Burrington

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Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed illustrated by Stasia Burrington

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Inspired by the early life story of astronaut Mae Jemison this 36 page AR 3.0 children’s picture book is inspiring and encouraging.  It is not a biography of the first African American woman in space for children, infact with the exception of the note at the end, there really are very few specifics about how she went from being discouraged by a teacher to flying in outer space.  That isn’t to say the book isn’t beautiful and impressive, because it is, and it shows how no one should limit your dreams or your success.  The book radiates warmth and determination and for children, preschool to third grade, if desired, offers a way to start a discussion about racism and sexism all while celebrating the amazing accomplishments of Mae Jemison.

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Mae is a dreamer and her homework one day asks her what she wants to be when she grows up, she tells her family she wants to see the Earth from up there, pointing to the sky.  Her mom tells her that she will have to be an astronaut to do that.  Nervous that it might be too lofty of a goal, her family reassures her that if she can dream it and believe it and work hard for it, that anything is possible.

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From then on, Mae reads books about space from the library, plays pretend, and makes herself a space suit from old curtains and a cardboard box.  She dreams about being in space and looking back at Earth, and she tells everyone she can about her dream to be an astronaut.

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At school when the teacher asks what everyone wants to do and be in the future, Mae’s answer gets her laughed at.  Ms. Bell tries to encourage her to be a nurse instead.  Once home, Mae breaks in to tears that her teacher didn’t believe in her.  Mae’s mom tells her that her teacher was wrong and that she hoped Mae didn’t believe her.  She told Mae that no one could stop her from pursuing her dreams.

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With her family’s unwavering support and a lot of hard work, Mae goes to space. The book ends with her keeping her promise of waving to her parents and looking down on Earth.

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The book touches on a lot of powerful issues that I really hope adults will point out and discuss with their children.  Why her teacher didn’t think she could be an astronaut, not as a belittling of the nursing profession, but as a woman of color what would make her teacher think that was her best option.  When and how should we handle when teachers, or people in authority,  do or say something that we disagree with. I also hope that the note at the end that tells more about Dr. Jemison’s accomplishments is poured over again and again and again and appreciated.  Truly she is a hero!

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There is nothing Islamic in the book, I’m assuming the author is Muslim, but honestly I didn’t find anything in my Google searches that would indicate that she is or isn’t.  It is really just my assumption about the name and my wanting to share this inspiring story with beautiful illustrations with the people who frequent my blog.  Enjoy!