Tag Archives: lift the flap

Feb7

First Festivals: Ramadan: A Lift the Flap Book illustrated by Junissa Bianda

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First Festivals: Ramadan: A Lift the Flap Book illustrated by Junissa Bianda

I was pleasantly surprised by the cuteness of this little (7.5 x 7.5) 12 page lift the flap Ramadan board book I got at the library. Written by committee (Ladybird Books) and part of a series, I didn’t really expect much, but the illustrations are adorable, and the salat flap made me smile. The text is simple and informative, fitting for the target demographic covering that Ramadan is a special time for Muslims to grow closer to Allah, do more good deeds, fast, fast, pray, and celebrate after prayers at the mosque with a feast.  It is positioned to teach non Muslims about Islam, so the “Muslims do, or say, or believe” framing, can inherently feel a bit othering, but being the tone of the book is to educate, I think it can easily be reworded for Muslim homes to benefit and enjoy.

The book starts with a two page spread of a family in a living room and text that identifies that “a new moon has appeared” and Ramadan is here.  The flap lifts the curtain to reveal a crescent.  It states that Ramadan is a special time for Muslims and that we grow closer to God, articulating that we call God, Allah (swt).

The remaining spreads feature diverse characters, various colors, mobility, hijab wearing and not, and cover fasting, suhoor, iftar, eating dates, praying tarawih and then celebrating Eid at the end of the month.  Flaps lift to show inside a mosque, praying and making dua, opening gifts, visiting neighbors, and eating.  The book concludes with Ramadan over and Muslims remembering what the special month taught them. Overall it does a good job of balancing, fasting, praying, and being together, not over emphasizing food, or commercializing the holy month at the expense of showing faith practices.

Dec27

Gift of Salah by Yusra Khan illustrated by Aisha Aamir

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Gift of Salah by Yusra Khan illustrated by Aisha Aamir

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This basic 10 page board book, is simple, and age appropriate to teach toddlers the order, name, number of rakats each of the five prayers are, and the time of day that they should be offered.  The gift on each of the two page spreads lifts to reveal the name of the prayer and the repetitive refrain will allow the audience to jump in on cue to supply the answer to the question being asked.  We have a lot of high tech and fancy lyrical options to entertain and teach our kids these days, but sometimes a solid book, that can teach and reinforce such a foundational concept is a just what our kids need.  I do wish the flaps were a little thicker, but the 6 x 6 inch size is great for little hands, alhumdulillah.

The book is consistent with each two page spread discussing the time for each of the five prayers on the left, with the number of fard rakats and the refrain of “Do not miss/ Do you know which salah is this?” I think some punctuation would help, but none-the-less, the present is then meant to be lifted for the name of the prayer to be revealed.

The illustrations do not have faces, and show the little boy praying from different angles and in different positions.

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Mar29

Letters from a Prophet by Zimarina Sarwar illustrated by Giorgio Bacchin

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Letters from a Prophet by Zimarina Sarwar illustrated by Giorgio Bacchin

I’m not a fan, as a general rule, of lift the flap books for toddlers (they just tear them), so imagine my delight when I was completely captivated with a lift the flap book for middle grade and up! And the flaps are not trivial, they reveal letters from Prophet Muhammad (saw), maps, interesting facts, and make an already impressive, beautiful non fiction picture book, feel interactive and somehow even more enticing.  The book gives context and information for four letters sent by RasulAllah to Emperor Heraclius, Al-Muqawqis, King Chosroes, and Al-Nijashi.  Each section has the story of the letter and then a two page spread that details lessons we can learn.  The book itself starts with an introduction, a section about the seal and where the ideas to send the letters came from.  It concludes with final thoughts and a bibliography.  I do wish the book was perhaps checked by a scholar, but at least it has sources at the end.  Truly, I learned so much from reading this book and discussing it with my kids, I’m even thinking I might need to gift my mom a copy for Eid. It works for adults and kids alike, a few pages at a time at bedtime, in a classroom setting, as a resource.  I hope books like this become the norm for teaching Islamic history to our children, it really has raised the bar, alhumdulillah.

The book starts with the cover, the large 55 page hardback book with raised images, really sets the tone that this is going to be an experience.  The introduction starts with the basics explaining the value of lettering writing in history, it then establishes where the idea came from to reach out to Byzantium, Egypt, Persia, and Abyssinia.

It gives a brief timeline of the life of Prophet Muhammad saw, tells about the value of seals and what the Prophet’s seal looked like before starting the letters.  Then the four sections begin, the first being to Heraclius the Emperor of Byzantium, then Al-Muqawaqis also known as the Ruler of Egypt: Jurayj ibn Mina-Kiolos, Leader of the Copts, then King Chrosroes also known as the Shah of Persia Khosrow al-Parvaiz II, and then finally Al-Najashi also known as King Negus of Abyssinia As’hama Ibn Abjar.

The Final Thoughts discuss the impact even though most did not convert and offer the reader different aspects to consider while looking at the bigger picture.

The book won the Muslim Book Awards 2023 Non Fiction category and is available for purchase here at Crescent Moon Store.