Tag Archives: joyful

Oct7

Zamzam for Everyone: Sharing Water at Hajj by Razeena Omar Gutta illustrated by Bassent Dawoud

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Zamzam for Everyone: Sharing Water at Hajj by Razeena Omar Gutta illustrated by Bassent Dawoud

This joyful 32 page picture book is both adorable and educational. Layers of Hajj and Zamzam threaded through with the global reach of Islam, generosity, food, language, and a little girl with a big smile brightening every encounter, is heartfelt and tender. Each reading has me smiling and marveling at the illustrations, amount of information simply conveyed, and the way it all comes together to offer both a window and a mirror for readers of all ages, particularly 3 and up.  The robust backmatter allows older readers to benefit, and with pronunciation guides, cultural and religious oversight noted, this book will be a favorite at bedtime and story times in Islamic and public schools, libraries, and gatherings.  SubhanAllah, the book is really well done and such a gift to us all to see Hajj and Zamzam unapologetically and proudly presented through little Mariam’s eyes.  It will leave children feeling like they just had a warm hug, and inshaAllah making dua’a that they too will be invited to Hajj soon.  

The book starts with Mariam feeling blessed to be one of the millions of people at Hajj. Her mother encourages her to be good, share, and be grateful all while staying hydrated, as it will be tiring.  She tries to come up with what she can do to get blessings, in addition to smiling, when she realizes sharing her Zamzam water will be the most beneficial. 

She helps an old lady find a seat and gives her some Zamzam, the Pakistani lady says, “shukria” and gives her dates in return. When she shares with some Indonesian sisters and is told “Terimah Kasih” she is handed some pandan cookies in gratitude.  This continues all throughout her Umrah with pilgrims and workers from different countries thanking her in different languages and sharing something back with her.  

It carries on through the steps of her Hajj, even when Makkah is far away. And even when she returns to her home, she shares the Zamzam to bring a part of Hajj to those that stayed at home.

The backmatter tells the story of Zamzam, information about the treats mentioned from around the world, information about Hajj with a glossary as well as the steps of Umrah and Hajj, information about the author and illustrator, and who helped insure accuracy of all the cultural and religious content included.

The book comes out in January 2026, and appears to be available in both hardback and paperback, please preorder to show support.

 

Mar4

Ramadan Kareem by M.O. Yuksel illustrated by Hatem Aly

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Ramadan Kareem by M.O. Yuksel illustrated by Hatem Aly

The lyrical text that shows joy, Muslim joy, all over the world during the most wonderful time of the year is felt, truly truly felt in this rich, beautiful book. The illustrations, the text, the sentiment, it all comes together so splendidly, that when you turn the last page you want to start over again. Hundreds of people are wondering what book to read to their children’s public schools this year, what book to start off masjid story times this Ramadan, what book to read every night leading up to the blessed month to get their children excited, what book to hand to your children to look through so they can have a few more minutes of sleep and alhumdulillah to all the above, I whole heartedly suggest, this one. Even with the errors.  The book states “the Night of Power is better than a thousand nights,” and should read, better than a thousand months.  The backmatter says “by not eating or drinking anything from just before sunrise until sunset.”  The story itself though has it correct and says “suhoor is a predawn meal” and notes the “sun is still sleeping.”

A universal story of celebrating Ramadan, with waking up for suhoor, greeting neighbors, having self control, praying, volunteering, iftar, community.  It is a singular story, but each two page spread showing a child in a new country continuing the narrative.  The worship uniting us all as Muslims even while our unique traditions add diversity and layers to the acts that we share.

It starts with gazing at the new moon in Turkey and mom saying that the narrator can fast. The drummer than beats her drum and it it time to wake up in Egypt. The call to prayer and remembering you are fasting reaches Syria, and donations are given in Indonesia. In Spain Qur’an is read in abuela’s lap and neighbors are visited in the United States.  Donations are packed in Australia,  friends and family are visited in Pakistan, and kimchi after dates for iftar in South Korea.  It is then off to Iran for prayers, Laylatul Qadr in Senegal, and getting ready for Eid in Uzbekistan.  Palestine is the final stop as Eid joy erupts for Muslims everywhere.

The book is widely available, you can order yours here at Crescent Moon or here on Amazon

Feb26

EidTale: An Eid al-Fitr Adventure by Aaliya Jaleel

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EidTale: An Eid al-Fitr Adventure by Aaliya Jaleel

This is the thickest board book I think I have ever seen, and that it is about Eid, filled with Muslim joy, and has foldout pages, makes it one of the best as well. It even gets that Fajr salat is prayed at dawn, it uses masjid instead of mosque, and mom covers outside, but not at home, alhumdulillah.  The book is meant for littles, but I think preschoolers will enjoy the siblings getting up on Eid morning, praying, putting on new clothes, taking their Eidi to get gifts, sharing with the homeless, the aunties doing henna, the uncles drinking chai as they make their way to the masjid to pray and celebrate.  It is beautifully illustrated, with simple toddler aligning text, and is an absolute joy to read, spend time with and share.

I love that it shows generosity, and some of the sunnahs of Eid, without telling or preaching.  And yet amidst all the fun foldouts, bright colors, cute cats, and traditions, it also has a bit of a plot, that parents can talk to their kids about.  This book is unapologetic and for Muslim kids, but the authenticity is so warm that even non Muslims will be drawn to it.

I love this book, and can’t wait to gift it to some of the little people on my Eid shopping list.  The book comes out March 5, 2024 and can be  (pre)ordered here.

Sep5

Egypt by Aya Khalil illustrated by Magda Azab

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Egypt by Aya Khalil illustrated by Magda Azab

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This sweet board book is part of a series, the other two books are Japan and France, releasing in October.  All are brightly illustrated, 20 page books for ages zero to four and take the littlest of readers into a country, through sights, experiences, foods and language.  This particular book does not feature any visible #muslimsintheillustrations but the author is Muslim, and so I am reviewing and sharing it here.

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The framing of the book is a day in the life of a little girl, who wakes up with bosas from her mama and baba and greetings of Ahlan.  Some of the words are written in Arabic script with the English transliteration and pronunciation provided, other times it is just the English transliteration of the Arabic with the pronunciation asterisked and written smaller immediately below the text.

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Once she is awake, she gets dressed, brushes her teeth and is off with her baba to buy pita and ful.  The busy street offers sights to see and fruits to pick from.  She ponders and asks herself and the readers which one to choose.

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At her Teita and Geddos there is dancing and tabla playing before walking back home along the Corniche.  Dinner is served and bedtime has arrived. The book concludes with a summary of her day linking the Arabic words to the illustrations and English meaning, as well as some pronunciation tips for the Arabic sounds.

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As a Muslim reviewer I had to hope there might be one hijab clad woman in the illustrations, I know many Muslims don’t cover and Egypt is diverse, but considering the lens I review from, I feel obligated to state that opinion.

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A little more critically, I was a bit surprised on the page with the colorful boats that the color names yellow, blue, and purple, were not included in Arabic and only in English.  Seemed that would have been an naturally and easy inclusion.

Overall, the book did a good job of celebrating Egypt without over explaining, keeping it bright and engaging for toddlers.  I really like the language being shared in a story context, not just a book with a picture on it and words in different languages.  I also liked that while the details were Egypt specific, there were also pages that were universal.

Available for preorder and purchase here

May6

Halal Hot Dogs by Susannah Aziz illustrated by Parwinder Singh

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Halal Hot Dogs by Susannah Aziz illustrated by Parwinder Singh

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I’m not sure what I expected this book to be, I just knew I wanted to get my hands on it, but I’m fairly certain, that even if I would have had some expectations, they would have been no where near how well done this 40 page book for four to eight year olds is overall.  It is unapologetically American-Palestinian Muslim in an inclusive funny delightful way, that only an OWN voice book can be. There have been some great picture books lately that are authentic, yet mainstream, and this book pushes that standard just a little bit higher as it normalizes jummah, halal food, dabke, hijab, with familiar threads of street food, spunky little sisters, untied shoelaces, tradition, and excitement.  The story has a twist and some intentionally misleading foreshadowing, that give the book depth and added fun.  Readers of all backgrounds will relate to this book and find something that they can relate to, as they laugh and marvel at Musa’s infectious enthusiasm for hot dogs. img_0610

Musa Ahmed Abdul Aziz Moustafa Abdel Salam, aka Musa, loves Fridays.  His family heads to the masjid for Jummah prayer and then home for a special Jummah treat.  Lately, they’ve had molokhia, that stayed in their teeth for a week, kufte kabobs that were better for soccer playing than eating, riz bi haleeb with lost dentures, and prelicked jelly beans.  Alhumdulillah, this week is Musa’s turn to pick, and he is picking his favorite: halal hot dogs with Salam sauce.

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They head to the mosque dancing dabke as they leave their house with smiling faces.  The khutbah is long though, and during salat his stomach is roaring! Afterward he is off, but Seedi has to help Maryam find her red shoes in a sea of red shoes and mama is chatting with friends. 

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Dad gives in and lets Musa go get the hot dogs alone.  As he heads to the stall with the best hotdogs: the perfect amount of hot, chewy, juicy hot dog goodness, he passes all sorts of foods being eaten.  There is falafel and bao and tacos and samosas and churros, but he is determined to get hot dogs, even though the line is really long.

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He sees friends in line, and firefighters, and even his school principal.  Everyone loves hot dogs, even birds and squirrels.  Finally he buys a whole bag full with special Salam sauce and races home to share with everyone.  But uh oh, it doesn’t go as planned, and I’m not about to spoil it, so get yourself a copy like I did from http://www.crescentmoonstore.com or your library, and maybe don’t read it while you are fasting, because you will be craving hot dogs, mmmmmm nom nom nom.

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There is an Author’s Note at the end that details her kids’ influence on the story and explains that a portion of the proceeds go to UNRWA USA, a non profit that helps Palestinian refugees.  There is a glossary of Arabic Words and Terms, and a section explaining Halal Laws.

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The book shows the mom in hijab outside the home, and uncovered within the home.  There are diverse skin colors among the Muslim and non Muslim characters in the book, as well as a variety of ages depicted.  Seedi wears a keffiyah on Jummah, but different clothes on different days.  The illustrations are wonderful and descriptive and do a lot to compliment the story by setting a relatable and diverse-positive visual.

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