Tag Archives: daddy daughter

Mar24

My Baba is the Best by Bachar Houli illustrated by Debby Rahmalia

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My Baba is the Best by Bachar Houli illustrated by Debby Rahmalia

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This 32 page horizontal picture book by an Australian footballer starts out much like a list detailing why a little girl loves her Baba, after a few pages though of more superficial delights, the book gets deeper.  It shows the family making duas at bedtime, going to the masjid on Fridays, it even gives a little insight into Eid and fasting before it then takes readers on a camping trip.  There isn’t really a story or plot, but the bouncing around fits the narrator’s point of view and will appeal to the intended target audience.  The book is mainstream published by Penguin in Australia, so I absolutely love the inclusion of Islam, the mom in hijab, the dad’s beard and the love shown between the little girl and her Baba.  Sometimes celebrity books feel a little forced, but having never heard of this athlete, I still found the book incredibly sweet and joyful, and the illustrations by a Muslim illustrator a great amplification of the simple heartfelt text.

The book starts with a little girl rushing to give her Baba a hug on the field as fans cheer in the background.  After all her Baba gives the best hugs, it then mentions that he is always doing something and shows him washing his boat and jumping on a trampoline with the little girl and her younger sister.  The trio garden, exercise, ride bikes, train and go fishing. They also watch movies at the theater or at home with the whole family. At night Baba reads special prayers to protect them while they sleep.

On Fridays, the family goes to the mosque for prayers, and the most special time is when they all go for Eid in their best clothes.  They listen to the imam and give donations to those in need. They open presents and after fasting they eat Lebanese pizza before going to visit teta and jeddo.

The best time is when they go camping.  They all set up the tent, and get sticks to roast marshmallows.  They even see kangaroos eating dinner before heading back to eat theirs.  On many of the pages it is just the girl and her Baba, but even when the whole family is present, the focus is on the strong relationship between the two.

The book is very endearing and as a daddy’s girl myself, I love seeing the relationship unfold on the pages with big things, and little things, fun things, and reflective things, and from the little girl’s point of view.  The book is not readily available in the United States, I purchased mine from Book Depository, where they offer free shipping.

Feb11

The Jiu-Jitsu Ponytail by Mir Khalid Ali illustrated by Taahira Halim

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The Jiu-Jitsu Ponytail by Mir Khalid Ali illustrated by Taahira Halim

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A determined girl battles her ponytail, her own self-doubt and her opponents on the jiu-jitsu mat in 38 beautifully illustrated pictures and clear every day language.  Perfect for little girls and their dads ages five and up.

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Noor has been counting down the days until her first jiu-jitsu tournament, but the morning of the tournament a battle first takes place between her and her unruly hair.  Determined to tame it on her own, even when her father offers her help, she steps on to the mat for her first fight.

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Squirming with nerves, her ponytail breaks free from the desperate tape used to keep it contained and covers Noor’s eyes forcing her to tap out and concede the match.

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Walking off the mat, Noor’s Baba hugs her and compliments her on her bravery.  Noor is having none of it and just wants to go home.  Rather than argue with her, Baba goes to talk to her coach giving Noor some space to battle her self-doubt on her own.

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Deciding she has worked hard and trained hard, and been supported every step of her way she asks her baba to help her tie up her hair.  Together her and her jiu-jitsu ponytail take on the remaining opponents and persevere.  

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The book shows great heart in the supporting cast each of us have around us, in this case the father takes his cues from his daughter, never wavering in his support, but not forcing her to do anything either.  The little girl is determined, but also learns that it is ok to ask for help and above all to not give up on yourself.

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The personification of the ponytail adds a layer of humor to the story that works well for little kids that might just take the story on face value.  Even they will learn something about jiu-jitsu with the visual displays of the different moves and of martial arts tournaments in general.  Two of my children thought the ponytail hilarious, and two slightly creepy.  The subtlety of its personification allows its role of being a separate entity and just feeling like it has a mind of its own to be determined by the reader.

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There is nothing Islamic in the book, but the author and illustrator are Muslim, and the use of the little girls name, Noor Kareem, and her calling her father Baba will have a special appeal to Muslim children (plus her name written in Arabic on her bedroom wall), just as children who do jiu-jitsu will find themselves in the pages.  The book appeals to all children and reminds them they can overcome and inshaAllah be supported in the process.

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The illustrations in this 8 x 10 horizontal hardback book are beautiful and detailed.  They allow the reader to understand what is going on without the book being overly burdened with text.  The font is clear and well sized making the book ideal for both bedtime and story time, alhumdulillah.

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