Tag Archives: Muslim Author

Jan14

Zak and His Good Intentions by J. Samia Mair illustrated by Omar Burgess

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Zak and his good intentions

Zak  and his sister Hana compete to do good deeds, but nothing goes as Zak intends.  Each time he sets off to help someone or do something kind, he is thwarted by something unexpected.  As frustration mounts with each failure, his mom steps in to reassure him that, “Prophet Muhammad (saw) said that whoever intends to do a good deed, but does not do it, still gets a good deed for his or her intention.” With his spirits restored Zak appreciates Allah’s mercy and accepts that even when we try and plan, it is Allah’s plan that ultimately prevails.

The beauty of the book is in its simple message that is reiterated four times and brought to life with simple straightforward text and detailed, but not overwhelming illustrations.  The book is written on about a second grade level and would appeal to ages 4 to about 8.  It has 32 pages and contains discussion points at the end.  The book is fun and funny and conveys a message and moral in a relevant non preachy way.  Young kids can definitely relate to the character’s desire to do good, disappointment when he fails, and comfort in knowing that Allah swt knows all and is the most just.

Overall a good book with a strong message that can be read more than once and referenced often in both the home and school setting.

 

 

Jan3

Ilyas & Duck Search for Allah by Omar S. Khawaj illustrated by Leo Antolini

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Ilyas and Duck Search for Allah

I might have squealed in delight after reading this book.  Alhumdulillah, since starting this blog I have found that there are indeed a lot of good quality children’s books out there, but this one, well it just does it all.

Ilyas & Duck Search for Allah is concise in words, but somehow successfully tackles the huge concept of understanding Allah (swt) through His creation in a powerful way.  And I think a big part of its power comes from its humor and silliness.  The book says it is for ages 3-6 on the inside cover, and I think that is spot on.  The dialogue between Ilyas and duck and the animals they meet on their adventure is written on a child’s level of understanding, and is silly, but not demeaning, and my favorite part is that Ilyas and Duck figure it out on their own.  There are no adults in the book telling them what Allah is or where Allah is, they ask the various animals they meet in the rain forest, underwater,  in the mountains, and come to their own understanding.  This progression makes the book pure gold at story time.  You can almost see the kids brains turning right along with the characters’ brains in the book and when they get it, forget asking them to wait to raise their hands to be called on and explain it, they are so gleefully excited they can’t contain their understanding.

The book starts with an ayah from the Quran and is not preachy or cultural.  There is a glossary of sorts at the end telling a little bit about the four animals they meet and each of the 39 pages are beautifully illustrated.  The dialogue and interactions remind me a lot of the show Justin Time, which is neither here nor there, but conveys my impression of the story’s tone.

ilyas and duck inside Whether you have students or children that are naturally curious and have asked where they can find Allah or not, this book is engaging and fun and one the kids want read to them over and over again, alhumdulillah.

Dec14

Sana’s Startling Sneeze by Sumaiya Noori illustrated by Ridwaan Naik

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Sana's Startling Sneeze

I got this book at the same time as Sajaad is Sick, and thought they would go together nicely.  They did, Alhumdulillah, but I was honestly a little underwhelmed by this book.

For the most part. the pictures are detailed and fun, but they have the appearance of being done with either crayon or colored pencils and don’t pop off the page and grab the reader’s attention.  If they were a little brighter and bolder, it would definitely help the overall story, especially since the illustrator is clearly talented.

The story itself is clever and funny, but kind of unresolved at the end.  Once the Pre-k 3 through KG students were done laughing, they wanted to know why her sneeze was tiny.  Was it because she put both hands over her mouth or because it was just a little sneeze? They got a little annoyed that I didn’t know the answer and that there was no moral, or lesson, or conclusion.  I think after so many sneezes and so much repetition they were a bit unsettled that she would again resume her out of control startling sneezes, with no more hope of containing them.

Something else that struck me as being odd about the book is that the main character and her family are visibly Muslim in a diverse environment, yet Sana never says “Alhumdulillah” and her family never says “yarhamukum Allah” following her sneezes.  I added it in when I read it aloud, since that is basic Islamic etiquette, but a few of the Kindergartner’s in the first row caught on that it was missing and wanted to know why.  Again I had no answer.

A layout criticism I have of the book is the inside margin. It is too small and when reading aloud to a group, I could not see the last word of the line without moving my head or the book, and thus blocking the students from seeing the illustrations.  The font and text and overall book size is adequate, but the first few readings, until I practically memorized the book, were a little cumbersome.

 

Dec8

Yasmine’s Belly Button by Asmaa Hussein illustrated by Charity Russell

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Yasmine's Belly Button

This book is fun, fun, fun.  The mere mention of the word belly button to little kids gets them giggling, and the words and pictures in the book kept them engaged and happy through out.

The story is a simple dialogue between 4 year-old Yasmine and her mother about belly buttons as she heads off for her first day of school full of butterflies.  We learn that everyone has a belly button, even cats! And the students have a fun time following along with Yasmine’s confusion of why it is called a button, to her understanding that it allowed her to receive food while in her mother’s tummy.  yasmine2The illustrations are bright and colorful and have a lot going on.  The expressions on the character’s faces compliment and complete the text seamlessly to tell a well thought out story.  They keep the audience’s attention even after the text is read, with the kids telling me to “wait” so that they could soak it all in before I turned each page.  The mom and teacher’s expressions on the last page amused the daycare through Kindergarten students and made them feel like they were in on the silliness.

A lot is conveyed even with just a few words on its 28 pages.  The reader sees what she thinks, they see the mom without hijab at home and with hijab when she goes out, they see a diverse classroom, a patient mom, and a way to deal with being nervous in a new situation.

I read this book to many students at school and to my own children at home, and can tell it will be an often requested book in both settings, mashaAllah, I highly recommend it.

 

 

Nov26

Bismillah Soup by Asmaa Hussein illustrated by Amina Khan

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Bismillah Soup by Asmaa Hussein illustrated by Amina Khan

Bismillah Soup

It is always a cause of giddiness to find a good book, but to have one recommended by a mutual friend of the author, makes it all the better. Bismillah Soup is a spin-off of the Stone Soup folktale, but without the “trickery” of the classic.  Hasan, wants to surprise his mom with a feast, but money is tight and when Hasan is sent to ask the local Imam for some rice, a plan: Bismillah Soup, forms that brings the entire community together.  The story takes place in Somalia and the cultural words that are peppered in to the story add detail and talking points to have with the kids.  As each community member shares something small, the enormous feast that is created is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when we each give our best to help others.  The book is 40 pages with a glossary at the back and is definitely one that can be read over and over to kids of all ages.  Even the littlest ones are able to grasp the beauty of coming together through the colorful and playful pictures.

soup-gallery-img1 (1)The real treat of the book however, is how it all comes together: the words, pictures, sentence structure, font, size, and diction all compliment each other on the same level.  I read a lot of books aloud as a children’s librarian, and while the rhyming ones are great for the littlest listeners, there is often a void of read-out-loud stories for the kindergarten and first grade levels.  And I am talking about all books, not just Islamic ones.  Most picture books in my experience are written on a third grade level, with longer blocks of texts, smaller fonts, a wider range of vocabulary and longer sentences.  These books are often beautiful and very tempting, however when I read them during story time I end up “summarizing” them, and telling the story rather than reading it.  Similarly, early readers often find them frustrating and too difficult to read independently. Bismillah Soup strikes a wonderful balance, mashaAllah.

I read the story to my own children who enjoyed it and have found my first grader reading it independently twice this week.  Each time beaming with excitement to tell me something new he has gained from the book.  When I read it aloud to them, my kids marveled at how having a good intention and being so generous could benefit everyone. The first time my son read it independently he was in deep thought about how grateful Hasan was even though they didn’t have much food and how he was a determined problem solver.  The second time I found him reading it, he was so very impressed at the kindness of Shaykh Omar.  He really started to understand the subtle beauty of the character not just in helping Hasan’s family with food, but also supporting and working with the young boy to make the feast happen, alhumdulillah.  Screen-Shot-2015-08-29-at-12.06.00-AM

I highly recommend the book and I can’t wait to read it to my students at school next week, inshaAllah.  For more about the book, the author, and her other work you can go to the author’s website  http://www.ruqayasbookshelf.com

Nov24

Invincible Abdullah: The Car Theft Kidnapping by Haji Uthman Hutchinson

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invincible

 I don’t usually post a review of the second book in a series so close to the original, but I wanted to read this one and see if it would be a better fit for Book Club being it takes place in England.  Nothing against  Invincible Abdullah and the Deadly Mountain Revenge, but we’ve done a lot of books for Book Club set in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and I want to make sure that the students see Muslims in a variety of settings. This book has the same main character, but is not dependent on the first book for understanding in any way.  Writing style is about a fourth grade level and it is just 152 pages, with sporadic pictures and a glossary of terms at the back.

SUMMARY:

Abdullah and his Malaysian friend Zaki are karate buddies that train and worship together while attending college.  The book opens with the two sparring and Abdullah going home to a letter from an old karate friend, John, who got mixed up with drugs and stealing cars and is now in prison.  John asks Abdullah to come visit him to answer some questions he has about Islam.  After a few visits John takes shahada and changes his name to Abd ur-Rahman. When Abd ur-Rahman gets out Abdullah and his family support him and the sensei even lets him back in to the dojo.  However, things don’t stay calm for long and when Zaki’s car gets stolen, and Abdullah is kidnapped, the boys friendship, loyalty and faith is tested.

WHY I LIKE IT:

The story is face paced and action filled, it also never waivers from being a strong Islamically based book.  The characters balance religion, and day-to-day living in a realistic and inspiring way that engages the reader and makes the character’s morality seamless and believable.  I love that the characters forgive a convict in words and actions and that the friends are from a variety of ethnicities that again, seem realistic and not preachy and forced.  The twists and turns in the story keep the reader’s interest and although you know things will end up alright, the author does keep you curious.

FLAGS:

Obviously there is an element of criminals and drugs that while presented in a negative light is central to the story.  There are not a lot of details about the drug use, but there is some violence that the characters go through, and mention of guns.   There is also brief mention of a bar in the book that is visited to make a few phone calls from.  The only concern that I have, was that it could be perceived that John had to change his name when he takes shahada and I don’t know if I agree that, that is mandatory.  In the book it weaves a little bit of a side story and is presented very positively, but it is something to be aware of none-the-less.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I will probably use this book for the 3rd to 5th grade Book Club selection later this school year, because I think there is a lot to talk about. Topics of rehabilitation, taking shahada, and being a good friend are prevalent through out and something I think kids can wrap their heads around and have opinions about.  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about the book online and I’ve heard from one distributor that the book is out of print, but on some sites there are still copies available and there is also a workbook.

Oct13

The Visitors by Linda Delgado (Book #1 of Islamic Rose Books)

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Islamic Rose Books The Visitors

I first read this book in 2004 and it was pretty much my first introduction to what elementary aged/young adult Islamic fiction could and should be.  It set the standard and I think subconsciously I’ve held every other Islamic fiction book up to this series as a comparison.  I’ve taught it to 4th graders and 5th graders, I’ve purchased the series and left it for the students at every school I’ve ever been a part of, I’ve even exchanged emails with the author with students’ questions and been impressed by her responses.  So, after reading so many other books in putting this blog together, I thought it is finally time to revisit a book and series that is dear to my heart, and see if my memories are accurate.

Alhumdulillah, they are.

The book is a bit bumpy at first with the chattiness of the main character Rose, but either like real children, you grow accustomed to her and find her endearing, or the author pulls back as the story progresses and the book finds a more readable and engaging rhythm.  Either way, I still felt a pull to keep reading the book, and feel confident that those that read it, and the entire series (I haven’t read the latest book, “Reunion”) are better for it, alhumdulillah.

SUMMARY:

Nine-year-old Rose is excited that her grandparents, who live next door, are going to be hosting two Saudi Arabian Police Officers who are coming to America to learn English and train with the Arizona Police Department.  In anticipation of their arrival Rose and Grandma do what they can to learn about the food, culture and religion.  Rose’s dad however, is not comfortable with Abdul and Fahd being so close to his family, and for Rose to be so curious about Islam.  Rose works on PLAN after PLAN to try and help her dad and the officers connect, but will it be enough?

WHY I LIKE IT:

The book actually addresses some harsh realities of how Muslims are perceived, yet does so in a tender way.  When Rose wants to go to the Islamic Center and her father objects, or she talks about Muslims at school and her teachers get mad, it opens the discussion for why people may have negative views of Muslims, how to deal with such negativity and how to move past stereotypes.  The book also does a really good job of introducing Islam and Saudi culture to its readers in a fairly non preachy manner.  The inner workings of Rose’s family are also surprising raw and relatable.  Her Mom is not in the picture and Rose must deal with the stresses of a single parent home, luckily her grandparents are next door, but even then, there are stresses and issues that arise.  Rose also deals with a friend moving away, teasing at school, and disappointment.

FLAGS:

None, just some of the stereotypes from Rose’s Dad that may introduce some negative views non Muslims have of Muslims, such as: Muslims as terrorists, Muslim’s being abusive and controlling to women, etc.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

There are a few different versions of the book, mainly just cover changes depending on the publisher, but this version:

The Visitorshas appendixes in the back that include a glossary and recipes and facts about Islam as well as Arizona.  The newer version (as pictured at the top of the post) doesn’t include everything and refers those looking for more to see a website.  That website however and all other links to online study guides and reader guides are no longer available or now have different owners.  I’m not sure what happened to Linda Delgado, and if anyone knows how to contact her, I’m hoping you will let me know.

So as of now there are no links to suggest for teaching the book unfortunately.

Oct2

Time to Pray by Maha Addasi, Arabic translation by Nuha Albitar, illustrated by Ned Gannon

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Time to Pray by Maha Addasi

On the surface this book presents itself to be fabulous: the large size, the dual language, the length (32 pages), and concept.  But alas, sadly, I was a little let down with the story, the characters, even the pictures.  The details about the characters are vague, the reader doesn’t know where the story takes place, where the girls parents or the rest of her family are (until the end), why she doesn’t know how to pray, and the climax isn’t really much of a surprise.  After reading this post from the author I appreciate that she left the location vague, to as not be burdened by one specific country, and I can see the origins of why the call to prayer from her own childhood is what the story focuses on.  I can also imagine the wealth of information and details that she had to sort through to decide what is needed to carry the story and what would ultimately repel a young reader.  All that in to consideration however, still didn’t connect me to the story of young Yasmin and her Grandma. Not to mention I didn’t have all the author’s justifications or rationale before reading it.

 IMG_3163

The pages have both English and Arabic text and is written for older children. Despite the initial appearance of being a children’s picture book, it has an AR level of 4.2 and has some Arabic words in the text, an Author’s Note in the back and detail of Prayer Times in the back, as well.

IMG_3164

The pictures I want to say are beautiful, but for some reason I didn’t love them.  I am no art critic and they are detailed and large and I should probably ask a child, but here is one for you to decide your thoughts about them on your own.

IMG_3162

Additionally I’m not sure if she is washing her foot her, as part of Wudu, the obligatory cleansing before prayer, which in this case, would be portrayed erroneously, or if she is drying her foot, either way Grandma looks sad to me and not content or excited to prostrate to her creator.

All is not lost though in this book about a girl learning about prayer with her grandma and being surprised by a prayer outfit. prayer rug, and Athan clock when she gets home and finds while unpacking.  But some of the best parts are subtle and might not be gleamed by unassisted readers.  For example how Grandma dresses at home versus when she is out, that because Yasmin is young she is not reprimanded for not praying, or how patient and loving the Grandma is in a slower paced environment.  Overall, the book is unique in that it gives an introduction to Muslim’s prayers to both Muslim and non Muslim readers alike, but for such potential I felt it fell short of being fabulous.

Sep3

Invincible Abdullah: The Deadly Mountain Revenge by Haji Uthman Hutchinson

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Invincible Abdullah: The Deadly Mountain Revenge by Haji Uthman Hutchinson

invincible-abdullah-the-deadly-mountain-revenge-workbook-aziza-and-uthman-hutchinson-2

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen and handled this book hundreds of times in my involvement in four Islamic Schools, as a teacher, a librarian, and host of book fairs.  So, it is a little embarrassing to admit that this is the first time I actually cracked open the cover and read the book.  Written in 1992 with a less than attention grabbing cover, I had minimal expectations, but with a newborn and down time, I thought I needed to give it a chance, and I’m glad I did.  The book is definitely geared to boys (there isn’t even a female character in it), and is pretty action packed and quick paced.  You know the boys will get out of the predicament at hand, he is “Invincible” after all, and there are three more books in the series, but you don’t feel bad reading it anyway, because it is sufficiently entertaining.  The book isn’t amazing, but it holds its own largely because it doesn’t talk down to the reader.  The characters are independent and thoughtful and yes they are teenagers battling drug carriers in the tribal areas of Pakistan, and yes they are wielding guns and hiking over glaciers, but mind you they never miss their salat or fail to thank Allah (swt) for their success which kind of makes the book that much more fun.  The book is 218 pages with a glossary at the back.  It is not an AR book, but I probably will make it into one at about a fourth grade fifth month level (4.5).  I also am considering doing it for book club, but might wait and read the rest of the series to see which one will have a wider appeal.

SUMMARY:

Abdullah travels to Pakistan from England to visit his cousin Hasan.  At the airport Abdullah’s bag gets switched with someone else’s and the boys find themselves getting accosted by the rightful owners who have a half a million dollars in their suitcase.  The boys talk to the police and learn that the money is part of a heroin operation going on in the tribal areas and that the inadvertent switch messed up the police’s sting to catch the criminals.  The boys run in to the drug runners again in the bazaar, and after an all out brawl decide when an opportunity to go into the tribal areas presents itself, that they should take it and do what they can, to put a stop to the criminal’s drug ring.

WHY I LIKE IT:

There is drugs, violence, and guns, but it is all done for the right reasons, in an action filled manner.  The “good” guys are all religious, and while the “bad” guys have religious sounding names, clearly are not, which lends it self to a decent discussion about what makes a good person and what makes one religious, clearly not just their name or culture.  It also lends itself to a realistic conversation about drugs, their effects on the users, and on drug culture as well.  The guns, well the guns are there to make threats, and to hurt people, at best it gives you a seg-way to discuss your views on guns with your children, but in the book, it is what it is, not a moral or religious issue as the drugs are made out to be.  The boys, the heroes of the book, are all very devout mashaAllah, and their actions, manners, and thoughts reflect this.  I like that this is consistent with their character.  They are respectful to their families, to each other and are ever mindful of themselves as Muslims in all facets of their adventures.

FLAGS:

Just the content of drugs, violence, and death. Mild compared to most TV shows or movies, but present, none-the-less, nothing a third grade and up can’t handle. (Spoiler, only one person dies and it isn’t directly at the hands of anyone, nature steps in to save the day).

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

There is a workbook that apparently can be purchased to accompany and teach the book: http://www.islamicbookstore.com/b9648.html

The author gives pause as the characters have to decide what to do next and to weigh the pros and cons and possible repercussions of their decisions.  These moments would lend themselves well to a book club discussion to find out what the students would do, what they would be willing to risk, and at what cost.

Jul25

Burning Boats by Zaynab Dawood

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Burning Boats by Zaynab Dawood

burning boats

This book came highly recommended from a friend that read it aloud to her Kindergartener and I ordered a class set based on her raving review.  After trying to get into the book on three separate occasions I concluded that yet again I should have waited and read the book myself before ordering it.  So I handed it over to my avid reading eight-year-old who read it in a day and said it was pretty good, asked a few questions, and continued on her way confused as to why I couldn’t finish it.  So, I started it again determined to get through it and with Ramadan quickly approaching I thought I could motivate myself to do so.  However, I could not, and it sat on the shelf for the entire month with a book mark only a few chapters in.  At the prodding of my guilty conscious to return the book to my friend, I continued reading from where I left off, rather than starting over, again, and found that by dismissing completely who any of the characters are and how they are related, the story does get off the ground and I was able to finish it.  That being said, I think the story might have appeal if read aloud one chapter at a time. To read it in one setting did not help the story that can’t seem to decide it if wants to be character driven or action driven.  The sheer number of characters is completely over the top, there are at least 20 characters mentioned by name and the book is only 137 pages.  And honestly I never bonded with any of them.  There is action in the book, but the details seem misplaced.  The author details characters all saying salam and walaikumasalam to one another and giving moral reproaches based on Quran and Sunah, but I never felt I understood why the main characters were leaving, why the villain was so bad, or how (spoiler alert) a pivotal character in the book died. I guess by never connecting to the characters or feeling an emotional tie, positive or reproachful, the book didn’t live up to it’s potential.  The book is recommended for ages 12 and up, but I think younger children could read it and even younger could listen to it being read to them without any major concerns.  With guidance the book is by no means a waste of time, but if you recommend it to a child and they struggle to get into it, you might just have to let them find something else to read.

SUMMARY:

A small fishing village is being harassed by a corrupt businessman’s attempts to take over the entire industry in Tobay.  The principal of the school and a few close friends are trying to stop him, but have decide they cannot and thus are planning to move elsewhere.  The children are forbidden to go to the harbor as boats are being burned and crimes committed to persuade the local fisherman to abandon their solo endeavors.  With few places to play, the loss of the harbor affects the children greatly as well.  A tropical storm complicates matters as it tears through the village destroying the poor inhabitants meager dwellings as well as the damaging the school and the mosque.  With friends taking in homeless neighbors and the main family planning to leave the children plan one last game that turns dangerous when all the boats in the harbor are set a blaze.

WHY I LIKE IT:

There are some definite good qualities in the book, despite the holes.  It opened up a good discussion between my daughter and I about preparing a body for ghusl and Janaza.  It does show that people can change and that when people are sincerely apologetic and are striving to correct their behaviors, those around them should offer forgiveness in not just their words, but in their actions as well.  It also shows that good kids can make bad choices, and that the consequences can also be very real.  Similarly it shows that adults also don’t always know what to do, and that they can be forced to reconsider as well.

FLAGS:

There is violence in the book and death.  Nothing too graphic, but one might have to explain to younger, more sheltered reader,  that just because someone has a Muslim name doesn’t mean they are practicing Islam and are good people.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

There aren’t any online tools, but I would suggest having the readers keep a character journal.  Every time a new name appears, write down who they are, (and who they are related to), so later they can look back on it if they become confused.

Because of the “holes” in the story I would probably ask the students to give their thoughts as to what happened or why the characters decided to do what they did and then turn it back on them and ask them what they would do.

Why was Ibrahim leaving? Would you have left? What made Nasser change? Would you have forgiven him? How do you think Ayesha died? Etc.