Tag Archives: Muslim Author

Apr17

Doppaland: The World Where They Found Themselves by Guzelya Marisova illustrated by Agia Putri

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Doppaland: The World Where They Found Themselves by Guzelya Marisova illustrated by Agia Putri

This 42 page book follows a tried and true method of kids being swept away by some magical object to a distant land to have an adventure and share with the reader what they learn. In this case it is twins Eldar and Elnur being taken from their apartment in Paris to their parents’ Ugghur homeland when they put on their doppas, Ugghur hats, that in this book have magically come to life in the night. The doppas transport the children to the Silk Road to show them and tell them about the people and traditions in Hotan, the Taklamakan Desert, Kashgar, Ghulja, the Ili River, Turpan, and the Altai Mountains. The characters are Muslim and Islam is present throughout the pages. The literary elements are fairly basic, but as far as I know this is the first and only OWN voice Ugghur picture book, and Alhumdulillah it exists. The book provides an easy way to introduce some of the culture, geography, language, and traditions to early elementary aged children. The illustrations are engaging and equally informative, and I appreciate the glossary in the back. I just wish there was a map and some information about the persecution of the community to further highlight why familiarity and support of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Northwest China is so important.

When culture day approaches the twins ask their parent’s for something from their weten to share, and mom gifts them doppas. The kids make duas that they can one day go to their parents’ homeland and see what it looks like. Awoken by a soft noise in the night, the twins, and their cat, find the doppas glowing, and talking, and ready to take them to Doppaland.

The trio, Mushuk goes too, say Bismillah and are off. They fly over Paris, and discuss how they have been mistaken for Japanese as their Turkic ethnicity is diverse and rich.  In Hotan, an oasis near the desert, they see weavers wearing little doppas called telpik.

When they reach the Taklamakan Desert they hear music from the rawap, dap, and chang.  They see hunters living the sunnahs of horse back riding and staying strong to “defend their land if needed.”

In “Kashgar, the centre of knowledge,” they spend time at the library and marvel at all the languages the Ugghurs speak.

Their adventures continue as they learn how in Ghulja they greet with salaam by placing their hand on their heart, and enjoy the fruit in Turpan and the families picking grapes together.

After seeing a snow leopard in the Altai Mountains, they return home wondering if it was all a dream, but eager to share their knowledge with their classmates on Culture Day.

Apr15

Landing in Place by Sherine Hamdy illustrated by Myra El Mir

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Landing in Place by Sherine Hamdy illustrated by Myra El Mir

I think first and foremost I want to stress that this is a mature YA read. The majority of the book takes place after the protagonist has graduated high school, it involves a toxic mother who smokes, politics, romantic relationships, generational trauma, death, commentary on Islamic practices, relationships with opposite genders including when they are LGBTQ+, lying, and some profanity.  YA is classified as 12 and up, which given the graphic novel format, and the plot of her coming of age, I entered the book viewing it from an Islamic school librarian lens of handing or shelving the book for middle school and up, and thus it is not appropriate in my opinion. If you read it from a more adult lens, please share your impressions, as the book has a TON of Islam, and I would love to discuss.  It has Quranic ayats, it has Hadith, it has a girl fighting her family to wear hijab, it has incredible points, unfortunately  I just couldn’t quite support how the points were connected. If the book were a memoir, or I met someone and this was their lived experience, I wouldn’t find it concerning, it would be one person’s journey and them simply doing the best they can, Allahualam.  BUT, somehow the tone seems to extend beyond just Anisa living her life and growing as a result, and reads more of the author opining that this is how Islam is or this is how Muslims should or should do things, or view things, or not feel constrained by things, and by its end I just couldn’t support the character’s choices and the justifying framing, perhaps because it is fiction.

SYNOPSIS:

Because I want to spend more time on the Islam and why I struggled with how it was connected, I’m simply going to copy and paste the publisher provided summary of the book:

A poignant coming-of-age graphic novel about an Egyptian American girl grappling with college, her family, and the political realities of her wider world.

Anisa is following in her sister Reem’s footsteps: She’s a freshman at her sister’s alma mater, she’s on the same premed track, and she’s inherited Reem’s old hotpot, mini-fridge, and textbooks. Even though Anisa would prefer to study art, her parents discount that as a valid career choice. The path laid out before her starts to crumble as Anisa feels she doesn’t belong—either in her organic chemistry class or among the other Muslim students on campus.

When Anisa fails her first semester, she begs her parents to let her take time off to visit Cairo and stay with her beloved grandfather. Finally free to have her own experiences, Anisa begins a journey of self-discovery and, as she bumps up against familial, societal, and religious expectations, she starts to develop her own artistic voice. When Anisa returns to the United States, many of these expectations shift, but she learns to draw on the love of friends and family—including those she’s often at odds with—in order to stay true to herself.

 

WHY I LIKE IT:
I like that the book feels very real, that the character arc and growth, challenges and setbacks, struggles and character’s voice, radiate authenticity and seeks to shed light on what not only shapes us and our view of the world, but understanding the politics, culture, religious, and lived experiences of what our parents also have been shaped by in a manner that is neither overly naive or harsh.

I appreciated the political commentary, the internal reflections of faith and her closeness with her grandfather in Egypt which often centers Islam. And as a work of fiction I understand in the broad sense that the book does not want to get didactic in its sharing of the deen, but it seems to want to have it both ways.  It shares the Quranic Arabic in the pages with meaning of the translation in the backmatter, quotes uncited hadith and references Islamic customs, yet I feel by staying gray in how the character interpreted Islamic teachings and failing to commit to her showing her own rationale for the choices and understanding driving those choices, the book leaves holes in the plot and a lot of questions.  For example, why is kissing her Sikh boyfriend considered a “mistake,” only because she wears hijab? She commits to him by getting her mom and Muslim friends on board with their relationship with the book sharing that different opinions are good according to Prophet Muhammad (saw).  She starts to wear hijab and says she is doing it for the right reasons, but those reasons are never shared.  She develops a relationship with Allah swt which is beautiful, but what is the messaging for the reader, with her justifying her actions in light of that relationship?

Yes, I realize that that makes me the very hypocrite the characters push back against in the book: not being able to be human and error, and struggle, and inshaAllah come back to Allah, swt, I know that, but I also know that our  youth are impressionable and we want to inspire them, not give them a “pass” through a fictional story to do haram because Allah swt is forgiving.  I also know that a 13 year old reading this and a 19 year old reading this will view it very differently  (see opening paragraph why my mindset going in was a disservice that I struggled to overcome, and why I mentioned that this is a mature read).  I also know that life, real life, is never linear and clear, and yeah people fall in love with people that are not Muslim, I’m the daughter of a convert, and my parents met in college, I get the hypocrisy, I own it, I really do.

I can’t reiterate enough how many of the points I loved about her finding herself, understanding and connecting to her deen and extended family, laughing in the relatability the book has in its commentary on Islamophobia, expectations, politics, but none-the-less, I ultimately cannot support the normalized conclusions and justifications of many of the threads.

FLAGS:
See opening paragraph

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
Not appropriate for Islamic school book clubs, I can see perhaps college or University MSAs reading it for fun and then offering up their thoughts as being an incredible pulse on how our “New Adult” Muslims view the themes and topics the book tackles, but I take handing a book to a person as an amanah, and I don’t think I could hand this to a middle or high school student.

Mar26

Hafsa’s Way by Aisha Saeed

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Hafsa’s Way by Aisha Saeed

It definitely helped going in to this 224 page middle grade novel knowing that it would not have any Islam, and would most likely be a cultural read at best, based on the previous two companion books. By managing my expectations, I wasn’t overly bothered that there were only two Islamic references: fajr, as a time denoter, and the mosque, as a location marker. Sadly no salaams, religious expressions as a storm ravages a city, or duas made even when a supporting characters mentions that his dad says they should pray, and Hafsa dismisses it as not being enough.  Overall, though the story flows well, the protagonist is likeable enough, and the interweaving of medicine, climate change, determination, and speaking up for what you want, makes it a feel good story from start to finish. It does manage to share some science information without getting didactic or bogged down, but I do wish, that a bit more culture was shared. It feels like it is watered down, and more often than not felt like the story could take place anywhere.  The stresses and troubles and commentary are more suited for younger MG in my opinion with everything wrapping up neatly and easily.  The book is a quick read, and I appreciated that the backmatter highlights that the elephant storyline was inspired by a real event and offers suggestions on how to learn more.

SYNOPSIS:

Hafsa is from a village outside of Lahore, and when she gets accepted into a summer camp, she has to convince her parents to let her go.  Her newly married sister, Shabnam, offers her a home to stay in and her husband Sohail helps with the fees, but it isn’t until grandma says she can go, does Hafsa’s father reluctantly give his permission.  Once in Lahore, Hafsa realizes her information is faulty and it isn’t a mini medical summer camp, to start her on her way to being a doctor, but rather a climate change program covering zoology, weather, conservation, and action.  She also quickly learns that her sister is busy helping her new mother-in-law with a hospital fundraising gala, and doesn’t have much time to spend with her.  Add in the camp kids teasing her for bonding with an elephant, a storm that floods and knocks out their power, and Hafsa trying to figure out why Shabnam has not started culinary school, and it is a busy four weeks for Hafsa, who is determined to make the most of it all.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I grew up in Utah visiting the zoo yearly as a child, and don’t recall thinking too much of it.  On a trip to Pakistan one summer that changed. I visited the Karachi Zoo, and now 30 or so years later, I am still bothered by the chain I saw on the elephant’s leg, the kids sneaking in to the enclosures, and the trash in the animals’ water sources.  This book brought it all back and mirrored my own sentiments in incredible accuracy, and thus deepened my connection to seeing Gulab, the elephant, getting attention.

The author does a good job with the pacing and bringing in different threads, but it would have been nice to add a little more depth. Showing Hafsa pushing to get her way, not just saying she got to ride a bicycle after pushing back on her father, talking about the wedding, sharing some of the cultural words, clothes, values, fleshing out the characters and their relationships, getting to know the classmates a bit more, seeing why this is a challenging and sought after summer program.

FLAGS:

Animal neglect

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I don’t know that I would teach this book, nor that there is much to discuss, but it will round out the series nicely (Amal Unbound &  Omar Rising) on the shelf and anyone that picks it up I think would enjoy the story contained within.

Mar15

Hail Mariam by Huda Al Marashi

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Hail Mariam by Huda Al Marashi

In 188 pages, this middle grade book packs a lot in: immigrant children expectations, the similarities and differences between Catholics and Muslims, Sunnis and Shias, culture and religion, all while sixth grader Mariam is starting a new school, a Catholic one- as a Muslim, having her first period start during church, and handling her sister’s health crisis.  Throw in Ramadan, Bibi coming to visit, family dynamics, friendships new and old, and a school Christmas play, and phew, just writing all that out seems exhaustive, yet somehow the book doesn’t get bogged down in the heaviness of it all.  It stays relatable, funny even, interesting.  The book’s short chapters, Mariam’s voice, and the author’s ability to make this Mariam’s story, not an expectation or explanation of how all Muslims, or Iraqis, or immigrants, etc., should be, really is well done. Written first person through Mariam’s perspective, allows even her lens of comparing what she is seeing at her Catholic school with her Muslim upbringing, to not come across as critical or overly agenda filled, it is just a girl leading with her heart and making sense of life.  A lot, according to the backmatter, is based on the author’s own life, and readers should know they may or may not agree with her conclusions, and her families practices, but I think this book has a lot of potential to be enjoyed on the surface, and start dialogue and understanding if one chooses to look deeper.  I additionally think with Ramadan and Christmas aligning again in a few years, that this book will continue to have wide appeal and be a great resource to remind us that we often have more alike than we think. Just one scene really bothered me, but, I’ll delve into that more below.

SYNOPSIS:
Mariam is the eldest daughter of two Iraqi immigrant physicians, and she has been informed that she is starting a new school, a Catholic one. She would love to discuss this with her mother, but her mom doesn’t seem to have time for her, only her younger sister, Salma, nor understand why a more rigorous school isn’t a good thing. Mariam is expected to be able to handle everything, and for the most part does, to be the best example of Arabs and of Muslims, and to be a great big sister.  But idols of Nabi Isa around every turn and being chosen for the part of Mary in the school play, has Mariam confused about what is ok and what is not, and how to handle it all.  When Salma’s health starts deteriorating, the weight of Mariam’s decisions escalate in her head and she doesn’t want to mess up.  When she learns her Aunty Sawsan is Catholic, her Mom is Shia, and Dad is Sunni, she is even more determined to find common ground, to keep those closest to her happy, her sister healthy, and Allah swt pleased with her.

WHY I LIKE IT:
There is a lot of Islam in the book, and while Mariam sorts through what she thinks is right and wrong, I didn’t feel there was internalized Islamophobia or that she was ashamed of her faith. She doesn’t necessarily have all the answers about how to navigate the situations at hand, but she doesn’t hide her religion, or question the core of it. It is  something she values and believes in.  She does get a little hard on her mom’s accent and culture gets a little confusing, but even when she questions her grandmother’s prayer recipes, I didn’t feel that it was insulting or disrespectful.

The only scene I felt was off was when at the end the family put up a Christmas tree, I get craft wise that it was perhaps to highlight the religion vs culture thread, but I took it as undermining so much of Mariam’s battles at school.  By the family partaking in a clearly Pagan based Christian adopted practices when not prompted by any environment or outside expectation, I felt it was a bit forced in perhaps trying to justify that it is something a lot of Muslims do.  Mariam through much of the book was trying to be respectful to her school and their practices while staying true to herself, the family got gifts for the Christian “family,” and they brough Eid gifts to them, so blurring the line when it wasn’t needed, seemed like so much of Mariam’s stress was for not.  I feel the conversations about culture and religion were sufficient.

FLAGS:
Mariam has a crush on a hospital volunteer, religious discussions, period starting, lying, impersonating her mom in school emails, jealousy, medical worry, illness.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

No tools are needed, just read, and the discussions will happen

 

I read and listened to the audio, both were great.

 

Mar9

Living with the Qur’an: A Yearlong Journey to Falling in Love with Allah’s Words by Aliyah Umm Raiyaan

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Living with the Qur’an: A Yearlong Journey to Falling in Love with Allah’s Words by Aliyah Umm Raiyaan

by Aliyah Umm Raiyaan 

I had heard that this book contained numerous transliteration and translation errors, that the humble brags and social media references affected the tone of the book, and the insight stayed pretty surface level.  I wasn’t too worried about the lack of depth, as I’m not particularly knowledgeable, but since I had preordered this book with the hopes of spending time with it in Ramadan, and I was really looking forward to it having enjoyed her previous books, particularly her Power of Du’a one, I was determined to find a way to benefit from it.  The logical choice for me, was to then not read the book, but listen to the audio book, as to not get hung up on any errors.  And alhumdulillah it was a great decision.  The author reads the book herself, so when the personal reflections are shared, it simply feels like a conversation and her referencing her own life as it relates to the topic at hand, the stories of other people are received as if she were talking about a friend who went through something similar, and the recitation of the Quran by  Sumayah Hassan, was beautiful and thus no transliteration was needed.  I also did not spend a week on each of the 52 chapters, I simply had it on when I got in the car and turned it off when I got out.  The actionable items will need revisiting at some point, but I was moved by a sufficient amount that have already been put into action, and a few passages that struck a chord, I did reread in the physical copy and highlight. Just because I didn’t use the book as intended, I overall did enjoy the book, benefit from it, and connect with the organization and messaging, alhumdulillah.

Each chapter is meant to be put into action a week at a time for the entire year.  The chapters have a theme, a verse from the Qur’an in Arabic, the transliteration in English and the meaning in English, a few paragraph description or detail tying it all together by the author, a story from some outside individual, a “Pause and Reflect” section highlighting what the author wants you to gleam from the story and how it relates to the topic of the chapter. There is then a “Live with His Words,” section that are action based tasks to engage the reader/listener with the Qur’an in practical ways.  Next is “A Question for your Heart,” where you are pushed to consider or reflect about your own relationship with the Qur’an, and finally a section called, “Fall in Love with The Author,” where Allah’s (swt) name or names are connected to the content of the chapter.  



The tone is personal and encouraging, the stories shared were by far my favorite part, as they ranged from relatable to incredible. I can see myself thumbing through the chapters in the future, or relistening on a road trip. I would love to hear how others engaged with the book, if anyone is working through it a chapter a week as intended, or if anyone else opted for the audio version, and why?


Feb27

Nadia Islam on the Record by Adiba Jaigirdar illustrated by Avani Dwivedi

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Nadia Islam on the Record by Adiba Jaigirdar illustrated by Avani Dwivedi

Having not liked the author’s YA books, I was on the fence about reading this, but when I saw it at the library I could hardly resist a Ramadan book about a girl visiting Bangladesh, wanting to be a journalist, and learning about climate challenges.  And alhumdulillah, the 304 page middle grade book is clean, Islam centered, and flag free.  Not so great though for me was the story craft itself.  I think it tried to do too much from a 3rd grade protagonist voice which resulted in a lot of telling, very little showing, and no connection to the characters.  My 10 year old read a few chapters, but couldn’t be persuaded to pick it up again as the plot is rather weak, journalism isn’t an exciting field to kids these days, there is no back matter explaining climate concerns, or flooding, or even a map of Bangladesh, and even he couldn’t understand why the book kept using the phrase, “first Ramadan,” even though it was just her first time fasting. I wanted to cheer Nadia on in her endeavors and her growth, the arc was there, I just never felt I got to know her.  Unfortunately, her voice and characterization were underdeveloped, resulting in her not being particularly relatable and likeable.

SYNOPSIS:

Nadia is planning to fast her first Ramadan with her best friend Yasmin, but a quickly decided trip to Bangladesh has her heading to her parents’ homeland for the first time to meet family members over her summer holidays.  Luckily her journalist aunt is going with them, and with Nadia’s sights set on being the editor-and-chief of her school paper, she is looking forward to learning what she can.  Her Khalamoni is working on a story about the flooding in the area, and Nadia tags along to interview a family that is helping care for the displaced families.  When she sees that even a kid not much older than her can make a difference, she is determined to spread light on the unreported environmental problems happening and their devasting effects.  All this is happening during Ramadan, and the heat of Bangladeshi summer, the length of the days, and the secret race Nadia and her cousins are battling in to fast the most amount of days, allows for Nadia and the reader to learn that Ramadan is more than just fasting.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT:

I really like that the story shows praying and reading Quran threaded in with the fasting, even if it is mostly just from the adults.  The arc of Nadia learning about self control and intentions is also nice to see.  It seems a little off that she has never even fasted a half day or part of a day before and that she has made being 8 years old and her first Ramadan such a landmark event.  In insolation, all of the story lines and the rep (see the pictures I’ve enclosed), sound great, but for some reason it just felt like it was too much and thus nothing resonated. So many concepts meant surface level details were all that the pages could address, and if it went deeper it felt like info dumping, resulting in no character connection between the fictional characters, or with the reader.

FLAGS:

Clean

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
The book would be a solid teachable book so that the discussions could be fleshed out and understood with relation to climate change and the environment, geography, and news cycles.  I would love to see a kid pick it up and see it through to the end, but ultimately I don’t know what there is enough pull to keep most kids reading to see how the story pans out for Nadia if it wasn’t a required assignment in a classroom.

 

Feb20

Just Right Ramadan by Jenny Molendyk Divleli illustrated by Ava Haghighi

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Just Right Ramadan by Jenny Molendyk Divleli illustrated by Ava Haghighi

This 44 page picture book is delightfully illustrated and oh so relatable.  As we are still early in the month of Ramadan, my large family at least, is still working out routines, and this book was reflective of the joy, the struggle and the determination to take advantage of it all. Yes, in Ramadan we need to push our selves, to pray more, read more Qur’an, be more generous, more kind, but when you have kids of all ages, it can take some constant rebalancing so there is minimal waste, enough time at suhoor, adequate sleep to drive and function safely, encouraging the littles to fast just a little bit longer each day, setting some boundaries about going to Tarawih every night if they start to crash out and make it hard on the others.  At times the story is a little overboard, but the heart really does open the door to discussions in finding what works for your family. My 6 year old and I laughed, talked, and have found ourselves referencing this book a lot as we strive each day to increase our ibadah and hopefully at the end be able to say, we had a “just right Ramadan.”

The book starts with a family setting goals, making plans and checklists to get the most out of the blessed month.  They don’t always agree, and even the most well intentioned plans are often harder to actually put in to practice.  The Zareen family made treats for their neighbors, but enjoyed a few too many themselves, they want to wake up early for suhoor, but waking up too early makes them have to wait a long time for fajr and waking up late means they are rushing.  A little like Goldilocks and the Three Bears finding one extreme or the other unsuitable and settling for something in the middle, the family has to navigate how much food to prepare, how much to drink before tarawih, how late into the night to worship, and ultimately find what works for them.

The tone is light and sweet and doesn’t tell the reader what they should do.  It shows a family finding balance while striving to take advantage of the blessings of the month, and hopefully will encourage the readers to do the same.  I like that story is a different take on the month, that the kids are right there with their parents, there is no first fast or identity stresses, no searching for the moon, so for me and my kids the book stands out as being silly, relatable, and unique, a combination that is increasingly hard to find in holiday books, alhumdulillah.

Feb15

The Ramadan Kitchen: Nourishing Recipes from Fast to Feast by Ilhan Mohamed Abdi

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At 223 pages, this Ramadan inspired cook book, is organized with the holy month in mind, but provides recipes that will work the whole year through.  With a few pages of text, reflection, and background before each of the eight sections: Suhoor, Iftar, Mains, Breads, Spices & Chutneys, Dessert, Drinks, and Eid, the author allows for the pages filled with the recipes themselves to be clear and less cluttered.  The individual recipes feature a description for a header, with some encouragement and guidance of how to change the recipe up and make it your own.  Some recipes have pictures, some are just text, and some are followed by two page spreads that show plating, pairings, or guidance for preparation.  The book stays focused on food with minimal religious inclusions aside from the religious framing, nothing that would make the book limited to a Muslim kitchen.  I liked the organization and found it intuitive and look forward to trying many of the Somali dishes that stand out to me in making this a unique collection, and a benefit to my shelf.

The book feels authentic in both the way Ramadan is presented and celebrated, and the approach and constraints of preparing meals. The personal commentary is very relatable and does a good job of conveying the factual with the spiritual, the goals with the reality, the food with the nourishment, and the multitudes that exists at different stages of life and even a different times of the blessed month as tiredness and excitement compete. Whether you pick up the book to thumb through and read, or grab it to find inspiration for a meal, the book has a lot to offer and return to.

Feb15

Too Soon for the Moon by Ayshah Ismail illustrated by Rizkia Gita

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Yep, another story about the moon, at least this one attempts humor and doesn’t completely neglect religion. So as I write this, I’m reminding myself that most folks don’t read as many Ramadan and Eid books as I do, and thus won’t be comparing or rolling their eyes at the familiar plot points. The book is for the younger crowd, as its premise is that it is too soon in the day to see if the moon is shining to indicate that Ramadan is over and Eid is here.  The little boy also doesn’t know what the crescent moon looks like, so Mama tells him it is like a smile and draws a curved line in the flour as she bakes.  With that, Khalid is off looking for the moon, and being told that it is too soon to see it whenever he mistakes something else for the moon, clearly not knowing what they mean by “too soon.”  I do like that Khalid and his Baba go to the mosque to pray, but I’m again wondering why everyone at the mosque praying maghrib does not look for the moon as a community.  There was a similar book I reviewed with the same exact premise and this same exact oversight, it also really stretched out the time window available to see the moon, which has me wondering if it is not the same for us all? I do like that the book comes full circle and he does find the moon in a funny place, spoiler, reflecting on the ground in a puddle.  I also like that there is a scannable QR Code for a free audiobook version and that it gets creative with not depicting faces.

The book starts with Khalid helping Mama bake baklava in the kitchen asking about the Eid moon.  Concluding that the sooner it is found, the sooner they can enjoy the treats and gifts, he is determined to find it.  The holiday lights outside obscure his view with Baba, so he heads up to his sister’s room for a better vantage point, but the cat’s collar reflecting is all he sees out the window, the glint of his aunt’s bowl back down in the kitchen also doesn’t help him find the moon, and they all keep telling him that it is “too soon.”

Baba and Khalid head to the mosque to pray, it is still too soon to see the moon, and when they are done, it is raining.  A sad Khalid sits dejected, but when the clouds part and the moon’s reflection hits the puddle, the joy of seeing the Eid moon finds the protagonist, and all is well.

The large 10 x 10 size makes the book suitable for bedtime or story time, and while it might have been better as a board book with a premise of a child not knowing what the moon looks like and where to find it. I found it more troubling that the rest of the family and masjid community didn’t take looking for the moon more serious.

Jan30

Ramadan for Everyone: A Muslim Community Story by Aya Khalil illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

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Ramadan for Everyone: A Muslim Community Story by Aya Khalil illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

This adorable 40 page book will be a great read to classrooms to see Ramadan in action from a little girl trying her best to fast and pray without internalized Islamophobia or info dumps cluttering a flimsy plot. The bright illustrations bring the story to life and will captivate preschool to early elementary readers and listeners.  The story shows the religion and leans into the concept of Taqwa as a reason for fasting, something to strive for, and prompting the little girl to give to her community.  There is a robust backmatter with sources, a glossary, two crafts, and information about Ramadan, taqwa, moon and stars, and being mindful.  It should be my favorite Ramadan book ever, with when we start fasting correct, adding a twist to the trope of a first fast, and centering Islam- unfortunately, the story tries to do a lot, too much in fact, resulting in the book missing the emotional element that makes Ramadan stories memorable and beloved.  I think the author’s style is also something subjective that I just don’t vibe with, so while I will provide rationale for my opinions as I continue my review, I am aware that fans of her previous books, will absolutely fight me on my thoughts, which I welcome. Even with my critiques, I’m glad I preordered the book and have spent time reading and sharing it.

The book starts with Habeeba’s kitchen busing with activity in the dark morning.  The first day of Ramadan has Baba and his two daughters eating and planning a month of fasting every day and praying taraweeh every night. Big sister Sumaya encourages Habeeba to come to the library at lunch time.  Once at school the teacher reads a Ramadan story, in the library, the librarian encourages Habeeba with stickers, and the two sisters look at books together.

Once back home though, chef Baba’s kunafa tempts Habeeba. Baba reminds her that fasting is to gain taqwa, “because we want to get closer to Allah.”  Habeeba starts to wonder what else she can do to gain taqwa, but the thought seems lost as she makes a special prayer, and breaks her fast early.

Later at the masjid, the little boy in front of Habeeba makes focusing on duaa hard, and when she is in sujood, she finds herself drifting off to sleep. Day after day she struggles with the temptations of delicious treats, and slipping off to sleep in the comforts of the masjid at night.

The last week of Ramadan, Habeeba breaks down to Sumaya who tells her she is doing great, and that remembering Allah “also means being mindful of their community.” Together they plan to participate in a service project to help the community and give back.  Before the end of the month, Habeeba fasts a whole day and with her family’s encouragement, hopeful that in time she will fast everyday and stay awake in prayer.

The first page did not set the tone as a polished read, I am terrible at grammar, but “like watermelon, pomegranates, and homemade muffins.” What foods are like watermelon and pomegranates, those are the foods on the table, so maybe “such as” or drop the comparison word all together and just say what is on the table and what we are seeing in the illustration. Throughout it felt like sentences were choppy, and when read aloud commas were missing. The diction also seemed off to me in describing taqwa, not wrong, just stilted and not relatable to the demographic as it is stated, but not really shown. Do six year olds understand mindfulness? It goes from fasting is to gain taqwa, because we want to get closer to Allah, to it being hard to concentrate and practice mindfulness, to “Remembering Allah during Ramadan also means being mindful to their community.”  The backmatter says “Taqwa is achieved by being mindful of Allah and remembering to do one’s best every day- especially during Ramadan.”  I feel like words and phrases are being used interchangeably and not in a way that connects dots of understanding for the reader.  A bit more on level articulation is needed.  And I know I don’t like exposition, but it needs smoothing out and clarity. A few signposts to tie back to the theme, with word choice that kids will understand.  They don’t need to be hit over the head that fasting and praying and charity is worship, but they should grasp that little Habeeba is pushing herself to keep trying day after day to gain taqwa.  Perhaps if Baba at the end would have been proud of her efforts to keep trying instead of saying, “I am most proud of you for sharing Ramadan with everyone.” The point of Ramadan and taqwa would have come through.  I realize it needed that line to make the title make sense, but honestly that is not what the book is about.  Only four pages address the community.  I have no idea why the first day Habeeba wonders about other ways to get closer to Allah swt, sidenote there is no attribution in the story or backmatter, and it is abandoned until the end of the book and the last week of the month.  It very easily could have been threaded in and would have fleshed out the title and the different aspects of Ramadan, growing closer to Allah, and finding ways to help the community.

I did love the school community, from the teacher to the librarian, it is delightful to see support from the larger community in our lives, and models how simple and easy it can be to create a safe and encouraging environment.  The relatability of the characters being so excited and ambitious the first day, going back to sleep after fajr, finding distraction annoying, and getting so tired during salat was also relatable.  To be seen in such familiar acts will bring smiles to readers and reassurance that we are all so very similar in so many ways.

I felt the star and moon motifs were overdone for no effect, what even are “moon and star charms?’ It seemed tropey and superficial, same with the goody bag and the beginning being a sign of babies and then lovingly embraced at the end.  If meant to show the sisters relationship coming full circle it missed the mark for me, as truthfully I didn’t find the sisters relationship to be a proper characterization of the story at all. Habeeba compares herself to Sumaya, wanting to be as good as her, but Sumaya is rather kind and just used as a foil. She spends time at the library with her, encourages her and helps her. It is not a sibling relationship focused story, and adding a crumb here and there, just seemed like the book didn’t know where it wanted to go.

Had the book not been checked by a named Shaykh who consulted on the story, I’d be a little more worried  about the messaging that we fast for taqwa and not that we fast because Allah swt commands it, and that when we do fast we foster that closeness to Allah.  I also found it odd that the backmatter says Ramadan is “set during the ninth month.” Ramadan is the ninth month.

The first reading or two will be joyful and fun, I have no doubt, few will read it as often as I did. I also doubt anyone will take the time to be this critical. But I do hope at the very least, if you have a little one trying to fast, you will not have tempting treats and desserts out every afternoon after school.  And that you did notice the one day she wasn’t home, Habeeba was able to complete her first fast.