Tag Archives: Picture book

Jul1

Ilyas & Duck and the Fantastic Festival of Eid-al-Fitr by Omar S. Khawaja illustrated by Leo Antolini

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Ilyas & Duck and the Fantastic Festival of Eid-al-Fitr by Omar S. Khawaja illustrated by Leo Antolini

Ilyas & Duck and the Fantastic Festival of Eid-al-Fitr

 

In the world of Islamic fiction, there are a lot of Eid books out there for children, but this one is definitely more fun than most, especially for the younger crowd.  The presentation of a big, bright, hardback book is aimed at 3 to 6 year olds, and reads well out loud, however, the book is very, very inviting, and older kids with happily pick it up and thumb through the 32 pages of rhyming lines as well.

The book starts with Ilyas watching the sky to see if Ramadan is over and if Eid is here.  Duck in all his silliness doesn’t know what Eid is and rushes out to get decorations to celebrate.  he returns with a Christmas tree and ornaments.  Ilyas non judgmentally explains that those are for our Chrisitian neighbors for their holiday.  Duck then runs out again and returns with a menorah and dreidel and once again Ilyas explains that those are for our Jewish friends celebrating Hanukkah.  Ilyas and Duck then fly away in their hot air balloon to the Masjid to learn about Eid.

Ilyas and Duck2Ilayas and duck

The book works for Muslim children to understand what others celebrate and works for non Muslims to see what we celebrate.  It is all done in a matter of fact way of celebration, not of doctrine.  It is built on the idea that, “There is an Eid for every nation ant his is our Eid.”ilyas and duck eid

Much like the first Ilyas and Duck book, this one is great to have around and read again and again!

Jun29

The Elephant from Baghdad by Mary Tavener Holmes and John Harris illustrated by Jon Cannell

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the elephant from baghdad cover

This fun and informative picture book written on a 4th grade 8th month AR level retells a historical event through a fictionalized narrator.  A great retelling of a West meets East event with an albino elephant thrown in, makes for a story that is hard to believe is true.

Charlemagne, the medieval ruler of most of Europe, sent ambassadors to meet the Caliph of Baghdad, Harun al-Rashid.  Charlemagne was curious to learn more about the amazing ruler he had heard so much about.  When the Europeans arrived they were astounded at the buildings, libraries, organization and cleanliness of the city.  For months, Harun “introduced the men to artists, musicians, scholars, mathematicians, architects and poets” and taught them about “science, medicine, engineering, and art.”  Harun al-Rashid’s generosity however did not stop there.  “He loaded a caravan with presents fit for a fellow emperor.”  He sent a saber and scabbard, a precious water jug, and a magnificent clock that he had commissioned his artisans to create.  A mechanical water clock, that unfortunately, has been lost in history, but was detailed in the 807 CE Annles regain Francium, a journal that chronicled the daily life in Charlemagne’s court as well as in a book written 400 years after Harun by Al-Jazazi in Istanbul, Turkey.  Even this, however, was not enough for the great emperor of the West, and Harun gave Charlemagne the rarest treasure of his court, an albino Elephant named Abu.the elephant from baghdad

Abu even had his own keeper, a Jewish man named Isaac, and when they returned back to Europe both were invited to live in the palace.  “Once or twice a day Charlemagne would visit his immense guest.” Abu’s image was preserved in portraits and began to appear on coins and tapestries in the empire.  Even in Charlemagne’s tomb is a silk cloth woven with elephants.  Abu was taken into battle against the Danes and when he got old, Charlemagne had a house built for him and Isaac near a river.  In 810 Abu died and when Charlemagne learned of his death, “he wept.”

The story shows the amazing respect the two leaders had for one another, for animals, and the tolerance of people of different faiths.   At 40 pages it works for story time and for older students learning about the Middle Ages.  Obviously they would take away drastically  different points from the story, but both groups would enjoy it.  I learned a lot, so I recommend it to adults as well.  The pictures are beautiful water colors and pencil, supplemented with actual photos of artifacts, that all combine to make the story and book a wonderful addition to your library to be read and enjoyed again and again. elephant from baghdad 2

 

Jun27

The White Nights of Ramadan by Maha Addasi illustrated by Ned Gannon

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the white nights of ramadan

I love learning about people’s Ramadan traditions, and am slightly embarrassed to admit that I never knew about this Gulf tradition of Girgian.  My kids and I enjoyed reading this book during the middle of Ramadan, when the moon is full and bright, and thus known as the white nights of Ramadan.  Written on an AR 3.6 level the story does a good job of blending the concepts of Ramadan, Girgian, Islam in a 32 page fiction story format for Muslim and non-Muslim children alike.  There is an Author’s note and Glossary in the back as well.

A young girl, Noor, excitedly waits and prepares for Girgian.  She explains the activites to her two younger brothers, Sam and Dan, how they will walk the streets with lanterns (fanouses) and get treats from neighbors for three nights.  But before night falls, they first have a lot to do to prepare, and with the help of their parents and grandparents, the children make and wrap the candy, decorate bags to keep the candy in, and get dressed in fancy traditional clothes.  In the process the book also explains Ramadan, and shows Noor praying and reading Quran.  Arabic and islamic words are tossed in and well explained: iftar, fanous, suhoor, dishdashas, musaher, etc.. Noor in all the excitement shares a tender moment with her grandma where they discuss how fun Ramadan is, but that the “true meaning of Ramadan is spending time with family and sharing with those less fortunate.” A religious scholar may add more to what Ramadan is, but for a children’s book, the message is beautiful and perfect.  The story concludes with Noor and her grandfather taking a basket of food to the mosque to give to the poor.

The book has a slow melancholy type feel to it and the pictures definitely help set that tone.  They are detailed and well done, but maybe not overly inviting to younger readers.

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white nights of ramadan

The book made me want to learn more about the tradition, and talk to people that may have celebrated it to see how it has evolved over time.  My kids liked the idea of having a musaher, a drummer walking the streets waking people up for suhoor.  As a mom of four, I can see why something fun in the middle of the month, especially when the days are so long, is a great way to re-energize the children about the fun and blessings of Ramadan.

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Sep14

Going to Mecca by Na’ima B. Robert illustrated by Valentina Cavallini

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Going to Mecca

With Hajj starting in the next few days, this is a wonderful book to share with children (and adults) of all ages. The simple text flows, although it doesn’t rhyme, and is action oriented as the reader is encouraged to accompany a family on the rituals of Hajj.  The short sentences keep the book flowing and give the Arabic terms for the actions being performed.   The pictures show what each step looks like and are large, inviting, and colorful.  While the text doesn’t give abundant detail to someone unfamiliar with Hajj, there is basic information about Hajj at the end of the book.

Overall the book, in my opinion, works best for those familiar with Hajj and Islam. For those who are not, they will understand the basics, but probably be at a loss to delve much deeper or to answer any questions without further research. I plan to read it for story time at school and use a storyboard with the students after the initial reading to see what they can recall about the steps of Hajj, supplement, and share with their peers.  I also plan to read it with my own children to do the same, as it leaves plenty of holes where those with more knowledge about the details will feel empowered in contributing to the story discussion and thus making the book enjoyable and engaging for older aged children.

The book is not AR, but most second graders should be able to read it independently without trouble.

May1

Jameela’s Great Idea by Surriah Igram

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jameela's great idea

Jameela’s Great Idea by Surriah Igram is a good read-a-loud story for small groups.   A simple story of a girl seeing her father give sadaqa, charity, on a nightly trip to the masjid, wants to also give charity.  But, to do so, she must first find a way to acquire some money.  Her ideas are lavish, over the top and  silly, but her ever patient mom let’s her pick one idea to bring to fruition, which luckily, alhumdulillah, is the only reasonable one presented.  I feel like discussion is needed with this story to provide commentary on why the ideas are not practical even though her intention is so noble.  The story is very simple, linear, and age appropriate.  It works well for preschool and kindergarten age groups with big colorful pictures, large font, and its oversized presentation.  The message is beautiful as are the pictures.  Little Jameela has a supportive involved family, they enjoy going to the mosque, they behave in the mosque, yet have fun outside in the yard, and images of covered and uncovered characters are present.  Arabic and English signage decorate the landscape and the book isn’t too long at 30 pages.  After reading it, I think children will enjoy going back to look at the pictures, however, I don’t see it being a high demand repeat read request.  Once through is pretty sufficient in getting the message, chuckling, having a little talk about it, and then moving on.  The book is a great introduction to the importance of charity in Islam, but would need to be supplemented to fully convey to even the little ones, the value of giving to others.

Jan7

Allah Created Everything by C. Alta

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Allah Created Everything by C. Alta

allah created everything

The version I have is called Allah Created Everything, but it seems that the more common edition is God Created Everything, regardless the book is beautiful, timeless, and a perfect book for story time with the little ones.  The simple words and beautiful illustrations are the perfect level for Daycare through Kindergarten students.  They can gaze at the pictures and absorb the simple text, and even participate in a powerful conversation after about how Allah/God created us all, and everything around us.

The Blades of Grass,
The Oceans and Seas ,
The Rocks-
The Soil-
The Beautiful Trees,
The Majestic Mountains That We See,
Allah Created Everything.
The Dog-
The Cow-
The Whales-
The Birds, The Spiders and Bees,
The Wild-
The Tame-
Allah Created Everything.
The Sun,
The Moon,
The Rainbow-
The Clouds, Tornadoes, Volcanoes,
Lightning Shattering the Skies.
People of the World,
Shapes-
And Colors We See,
Allah Created Them
Just like You and Me.
Jan3

Four Feet Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed Illustrated by Doug Chayka

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four feet

A beautiful hardback picture book I picked up at the Scholastic Warehouse sale, at 32 pages long and an AR level 3.2, Four Feet, Two Sandals, works well as both a story time selection to younger students and as independent reading for up to 5th grade.  The story is about two refugee girls that come to know each other when relief workers throw donated clothes for the people and Lina and Feroza each end up with one sandal each of a beautiful pair.  Rather than fighting or being ungrateful, the girls work out a plan so that they can both enjoy the sandals and in the process, become friends.  The girls share their stories with one another, and thus the reader, about how their families have been affected by war and how they came to be at this refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan.  The girls dream of school and their futures and show the readers a bit of their daily struggles getting water and doing chores.  When Lina’s name shows up on a list to go to America, and Feroza’s does not, the friends must part and decide who gets the sandals.

While it probably bothers some that America is seen as the saving grace to sweep Lina to a better life and pander to an American audience. I think it makes sense seeing as the book was co-authored by the executive director of the Pittsburgh Refugee Center and was inspired by a refugee girl who asked “why there were no books about children like her.”  Clearly refugees do get a chance at a new life when other countries open their borders and stories like this that give our children insight into the world they have left behind, with the hopes of fostering compassion, is something that I definitely want to share with my own children and students.

The author’s website and reading guide: http://www.karenlynnwilliams.com/files/sandals_guide.pdf