Tag Archives: Nizrana Farook

Jan28

Eid for Nylah by Nizrana Farook illustrated by Zelma Firdauzia

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Eid for Nylah by Nizrana Farook illustrated by Zelma Firdauzia

I have read this book dozens of times and I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. If you remove the title and second to last page and just READ the words, the book could be about any holiday that you might clean and decorate for, that would involve giving gifts, putting on henna, wearing new clothes, praying, and sharing food at. The illustrations imply that it is a Muslim holiday with about half the women in the pictures wearing hijab, and a few decor items that say Eid Mubarak in English and Arabic, but readers that are unaware or unfamiliar might not grasp that it is faith based at all, and the Author’s Note mentions, but doesn’t detail much about the religious significance either. During one reading, I felt it also could almost seem like a mystery, that the title just happens to ruin. The cat Nylah goes to different houses on the street seeing and hearing the tidying and banner hanging and gift wrapping occurring, but doesn’t know why no one has time for her, until the big reveal that it is Eid. I think for little non reading kids that actually might be my approach, to share the book without the title and back blurb and see if they can figure out why everyone is too busy to play with Nylah.  I don’t know that it is tokenism, or that Islam is left out to make the book palatable for the Western gaze, I could be wrong though, I really just think this is the author’s style.  Having read her chapter books that always center animals, feature community, and include Muslim names, I think this is just an extension of her lyrical writing in her debut picture book. The book would work for either Eid, but the backmatter is the author’s reflection on Ramadan and Eid al Fitr.  I know I’m the minority that struggles with Islamic holiday books that leave out the Islam, so for those of you that do not find it disappointing, the book is sweet.  Nylah is a cat that is welcome and known to the entire neighborhood, to come and go as she pleases, the age engaging illustrations complimented by the cadence and rhythm of the structure, lines, and diction are easy to read aloud to groups of all sizes, and hold the attention of 3 year old children and up.

The book starts with a family “wiping and scrubbing, tidying and sorting, everything in sight.”  When no one has time to play with Nylah, she heads outside under the crescent moon, and goes next door to Bilal’s house, where he and his family are decorating.  When she tries to play with the ribbon, she is once again told they are too busy to play, so she slips into Reem’s house where they are doing henna.  This continues from one house to another until the next morning when her family all dressed wakes her up to go to the park with them for prayers and Nylah realizes it is Eid.  Now the children are not too busy and everyone plays with Nylah.

Yeah, I know, taking a cat to Eid prayers sounds wild to me too, kids love imagining though what chaos might ensue.  There is enough hinted at that Muslim families can find the clues and make the book more religious or holiday centered, but I wish it showed the cat seeing praying or reading Quran, hearing the athan or thikr, or something that would ground the book in Islam, but alas, it does not.

The book concludes with an Author’s Note and scanable QR Code for a free audio reading.

Jun30

The Boy Who Saved a Bear by Nizrana Farook

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The Boy Who Saved a Bear by Nizrana Farook

bear

There is nothing Islamic and there are no Muslim characters in this middle grade read, but this being the fourth and final standalone book on the island of Serendib, by a Muslim author, with a lot of heart, kid led adventure, and fun, made me want to share it here.  The beginning is a little bumpy, and sure you have to suspend reality a bit, but this story about a boy, expectation, friendship, perseverance and saving the day, had me invested and cheering for Nuwan to succeed.  The story is just under 200 pages, and I love the subtle references to the other three books with sight mentions of an elephant, a leopard, and a whale.  If your kids liked the other books, they will love this, and if you are in need of an easy, fast paced adventure, this book is great for readers 8-12 years old.  I felt slightly offended by *SPOILER* librarian villain, but it is a work of fiction, so I’m hoping one bad apple, doesn’t dim the light on a very honorable profession.

SYNOPSIS:

A key has been found that opens an old statue and secret treasure, Nuwan wants a closer look and combined with him wanting to prove himself to his family that he is as capable as his older brother Krish, he finds himself sneaking into the library and discovering something unsettling going on.  What starts out with him taking books from the North Library to the Kings City soon becomes him avoiding blame for stealing the key that is making its way to the queen, and saving a bear who wears the key around his neck from being captured by the wilderness authority for being dangerous.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that it is about a boy and a bear, but underneath the adventure it is about a boy accepting himself and finding his place in his family.  His friend Sani has to help him see his worth, but she’s a pretty fierce character and I like that they can have those kind of conversations.  Nuwan is a good kid and it is nice to see that even though he doesn’t see it, the reader sees how big his heart is, his strong his moral compass is, and how powerful his drive is.  I do wish it said what was in the statue, or what happened to the librarian and her husband, but the conclusion stayed on the kids, and it was heartwarming.

FLAGS:

Lying, sneaking, stealing.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I doubt I’d do it as a book club, it is well below a middle grade reading level, but definitely is a must on school, classroom, and home book shelves.  The added beauty is how pretty the book’s cover is and how it is magnified when placed next to the “matching” books in the series.

The book is out in the UK, but not yet in the USA: you can preorder/order yours from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/42Nwilp

Sep23

The Girl Who Lost a Leopard by Nizrani Farook

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The Girl Who Lost a Leopard by Nizrani Farook

leopard

This stand alone middle grade read by Muslim author Nizrana Farook is similar to her first two books about an elephant and a whale in that it is set in Serendib a long time ago and revolves around a beautiful wild animal and clever, endearing, determined young children. This actual story is an easy read at 203 pages (the end of the book is the first four chapters of one of her previously published books).  I think seven and eight year olds will enjoy getting to know Selvi and the beautiful leopard Lakka that she considers a friend.  For me the ending took an odd turn that seemed out of place, but up until then I was enchanted by the lush imagery, sheer determination, and sweet friendship shared within the pages.  The main character is not Muslim, but presumably some of the side characters are with names such as, Amir and Salma.

SYNOPSIS:
Selvi and her mother live in a small home on the mountain.  Most days she runs wild with a golden leopard she has named Lakka.  She keeps her distance, but there is a pattern to their interactions, and when Selvi’s mother finally allows her to go to school, and she finds the other children unkind, Lakka becomes her only friend.  One day poachers are on the mountain hunting not just any leopards, which are protected by the queen, but the rare golden one that is often seen in the area, Selvi tries to interfere.  And before she knows it, they are after her.  She hides near a home, and when the poacher’s come looking for her, she is at the mercy of Amir to lie and say he hasn’t seen her.  Amir is a classmate, a mean one, but he has seen her before with the leopard, and suddenly Lakka is not so alone.

Between making friends at school, battling her uncle’s rules to start behaving more ladylike, and keeping a leopard safe, the adventure is fast paced and the story entertaining.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love kids outsmarting adults and saving the day, it makes for good story telling.  I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I really felt like it was forced.  I truly do not understand why the children needed to take a drugged Lakka to the port and back.  Why not leave him with the new friends and go to the port without him? He is a wild animal, we have been given reasoning for so much of the human animal interactions to be believable, that this seems to be negligent.  So much could have gone wrong and for what? There was no need.  The kids wanting to see punishment handed out is motivation enough for them to make the journey in my opinion.  Sigh, I don’t know that younger kids will be as bothered as I am, but I think fourth graders and up will definitely question it and be confused.  I also don’t know that I have ever seen the sneak peak of another book included at the end, being for a book previously published.  Aren’t they usually for upcoming releases? Either way, it seemed to make the last portion of the book deflate a bit for a story that was engaging, entertaining, and hard to put down until then.

FLAGS:

Lying, poaching, abuse, threats, killing, animal cruelty, bullying.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

This would be a fun read aloud in a classroom or at bedtime.  The short chapters have little illustrations above the headings that hint at what is to come, and the writing style is perfect for short blocks of time.

The book is available on Amazon

Jan26

The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook

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The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook

whale

I have a vague memory of being told that this book features a Muslim family when I reviewed the author’s first book, but I can’t find the message, nor recall who sent it and to where.  The text does not suggest any religion by any of the characters, but that being said there are “Islamic” names present in this 195 page middle grades book by a Muslim author and set in Serendib, the old Arabic name for Sri Lanka.  The fast paced story pulls you in and sets three kids up for adventure, overcoming fears, outsmarting adults, and becoming heroes along the way.  I didn’t love this book as much as The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, but it probably isn’t fair to compare them.  The book was released last year in the UK and will release shortly here in the US, I don’t know that I would rush out to purchase it, but I would definitely put it on hold at the library.  It is an adventure filled read from a boy protagonist perspective, it starts with a mutiny, features treasure, plotting, close encounters with a whale, and bringing justice to murderers and thieves.

SYNOPSIS:

Zheng has never had much of a family, and when his Captain’s First Mate and the cook poison their merchant ship crew and leave them to die, Zheng escapes.  He washes up on the shore of Serendib, not far from Galle, and is found by local fisherboy Razi.  Razi is a fisherboy that doesn’t fish, or rather no longer fishes, not since his father was killed by the sea.  Razi just tries to help get Zheng some food and get him out of the sun, but when Marco and Cook question him about the whereabouts of Zheng, he protects the boy and gets himself involved.  Promising not to tell anyone about Zheng, he immediately tells his twin sister Shifa.  Shifa is the rational one int he group and doubts Zheng’s adventure stories.  Her quick thinking and clever sneakiness provides time-and-time again in the book, a chance for the three kids to rescue each other, find the treasure, and return it.  

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that the book is so fast past and unapologetic.  The descriptions of the island, and the plants and sea life, really is impressive and insightful into a country and culture not often explored in children’s books.  My mommy heart did not like that the kids would just leave for days at a time, and they never even thought that she might be worried, spoiler, she was! 

I like how subtly the grief and loss of the father manifested in Razi.  How he had to reconcile his emotions and start to move forward.  It isn’t in your face, but I would imagine that any child who has gone through something similar, would be reassured by seeing a fictional character experiencing something similar.  It is reinforced by Zheng’s lack of family and his need to find a “home.”

I felt like a few plot holes were too quickly glossed over in the heat of action.  I don’t know that it is a result of carelessness, I think it was more to keep the story fast moving and appropriate for the target audience, but I could have used a little filling in of the gaps: the ease of pulling people in to boats, where Zheng was going at the end and how it was all figured out, how Cook and Marco found Zheng, how everyone in Galle immediately recognized the dagger, why the kids were never killed even though numerous people were drugged at the beginning without a second thought, what the praise was for the returning of the dagger, what the oxen cart owner’s response was to the damaged cart, etc..

I wish there would have been a prayer to Allah swt at some point, or a bismillah, or an Assalamualaikum. The sister’s name, Shifa, and the medicine man that she trains under, Abdul Cader, imply a tinge of Islam, but I would have liked a tiny bit more, the book sets itself for lots to be sprinkled in, the children nearly die multiple times, but it was never there.  

FLAGS:

Death, lying, sneaking, near death experiences, grief, loss, theft.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

This would be a fun elementary read-a-loud with the short chapters and fast paced action.

Click to access The-Girl-Who-Stole-an-Elephant-Comprehension-worksheet.pdf

May21

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook

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The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook

elephantI have to admit this 240 page middle grade OWN voice book had me invested and glued to the pages.  I was swept away to Sri Lanka and in disbelief at the boldness, cleverness, and spunkiness of the Robin Hood-esque 12-year-old protagonist.  I could not put it down as my head worked over time to figure out how this trio of children, one being a Muslim girl, was going to get out of the heap of trouble they had caused.  Yes, admittedly it wraps up a bit too quickly and simply, the main character Chaya doesn’t learn her lesson and is a terrible friend, and there isn’t a good moral of lying and stealing being bad.  But all that aside, the book is a fun adventure that while written pretty straightforward and clearly, is rich in adventure, culture, and excitement for second to fourth grade readers (and 40 year old moms that love strong girls).

SYNOPSIS:

Chaya is the daughter of a tribal representative, whose mother has passed away.  She goes to school, attends the temple once a week to learn Sanskrit, and at dawn is known to steal things to give to those in need.  At night time, people are on guard, expecting trouble, but dawn seems to be the perfect time to take what she needs from people that won’t even notice.  The book starts out with her stealing jewels from the Queen with the hopes of helping a friend who was bitten by a crocodile get medical help in the next town over.  The people in Sarendib have an unjust king, and stealing from his wife to help take care of people that need assistant is a job Chaya takes seriously.  Her heart is in the right place, but when a guard sees her she stops to visit a friend who works in a wood shop to hide the jewels until the heat dies down.  The box they hide the stolen goods in is purchased by a young Muslim girl, and now Chaya has to steal them back from her to get them to people that are in need.

The chain of events is just getting started, and when the jewels are discovered the wood working Neel takes the blame and is imprisoned, and the new girl in town, Nour, is determined to help free Neel from prison and save the villagers from being tormented by the royal guards.  Chaya devises a plan to free Neel from the palace dungeons, but nothing ever quite goes to plan and all the prisoners are freed.   As she runs to escape her own doom, she steals an elephant to get away, the king’s elephant.

The entire story is a series of follies and at each turn the children have really good intentions, they just keep snowballing into situations beyond their control with the stakes constantly multiplying.  I really don’t want to give it away, but they might just bring down a monarchy as they tromp through the jungle on an elephant, accidentally burn down villages, and find that even though Nour is a wealthy meat eater, they can in fact be friends.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that the story is outrageous, yet grounded.  I was sucked in from the first few short chapters and didn’t look back.  Chaya is oh so plucky and her fallibility and flaws make her so endearing.  She is a bit of a mean girl to Nour, but I think she shows growth.  The slight raised eyebrow regarding her, is that she didn’t learn some grand lesson, and in fact is possibly emboldened by her thieving and getting away with it.  There probably should have been some humbling at the end, but she is bold and outspoken, and not one for regrets.  I absolutely love the letter she left her father owning up to her role in the whole hullaballoo, and as an afterthought acknowledging that she skipped two days of school.  She is a cheeky one, but her heart is huge and she has her own sense of integrity that is unwavering.

I like that Nour is acknowledged as being Muslim, eating meat, and going to mosques before she moved.  It doesn’t articulate that Chaya doesn’t like her for her faith, but it isn’t helping the two girls befriend each other either.  I love the elephant, and the plants, and fruits, and animals that bring the story to life.

FLAGS:

Lying and stealing. Some destruction of property.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I can’t see me doing this as a book club selection, it is just too young of a target audience, but it would be a blast to read aloud to a second or third grade class, or to assign in a classroom setting.  The chapters are really short that early chapter readers will feel accomplished when they complete the book, and the subject matter will compel them to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.