Tag Archives: rhyming

Aug13

Ali and the Moon by M.I. Kafray illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel

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Ali and the Moon by M.I. Kafray illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel

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I originally bought this book in Ramadan and had hoped to review it so that those looking for Ramadan books could benefit. But it isn’t Ramadan specific, just moon themed, and I really was so disappointed with the binding quality for the amount I paid for it, I didn’t think it was fair to review the story until I could get over the number of blank white pages in the book, and the overall copy-shop self-printed and bound vibe that the book emits as soon as you hold it.

The premise of the book is the hadith that if you see something bad you should change it with our hands, and if you can’t, then change it with your tongue, and if you can’t do that, then pray for them in your heart. 

The 16 page book starts off a bit awkward, with the boy just staring at the moon, but by page five, the story hits its stride and is sweet.  The moon dims and is sad about the state of the world.  Ali starts talking to the moon in rhyming lines, and convinces him that there is still good in the world.  The moon and Ali decide that at night they will pray for the world and the people in it.

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The end of the book has the hadith and the surahs one should say before going to sleep: Surah al-Ikhlaas, Surah al-Falaq, then Surah an-Nas and lastly, Ayatul Kursi.

The illustrations are cute, they are expressive and the moon and boy sweet.  I just wish the paper had more weight and that the story a bit longer.  A lot could be discussed with the premise of the Muslim boy talking to the moon with a great vantage point.  More specifics and more inspiration would have made this mediocre, albeit expensive book, great.

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Jun18

Jameelah Gets Dressed by

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Jameelah Gets Dressed by

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These books in the Mini Mu’min Dua Series are a great way to introduce familiar concepts in an Islamic framework to preschoolers and teach them the accompanying duas for them.  I previously reviewed Sajaad is Sick, which pleasantly surprised me, and this book proved that the series has consistency and value.

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The pictures are colorful, but basic, there are no faces or people included.  The text rhymes, yet has a nice cadence that doesn’t seem overly forced throughout the 38 pages.  The book is large, 8×10, with a glossary cover, and decent weight and binding.

This book includes a few footnotes: defining hijab, giving the ayats for the commandment to draw your veil over your bodies, the hadith about starting with your right, etc.  There are four duas included, the one for getting dressed, the one for wearing something new, the dua for when someone else wears something new, and the dua for getting undressed.

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May3

Mr. Ramadhan Moon by S.R.M. illustrated by Haleema Tahir Gul

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Mr. Ramadhan Moon by S.R.M. illustrated by Haleema Tahir Gul

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This little 26 page paperback book is not a lot to look at, and it really isn’t substantial in your hands either….but it comes with this little guy, who is Awesome!
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And once Mr. Ramadhan Moon smiling at you, and you open the book, the only real complaint you’ll have is how can we support this book so that the book can become hardback, the pages bigger, and the font spaced out more.  Yeah, it is fun, really fun.

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Told from Mr. Moon’s perspective the story covers the basics about Ramadan, fasting, charity, praying, and Eid, but also incorporates the searching of the moon in both the Ramadan month sense, and in the hiding of the toy and finding it around your house activity gimmick. Much like the Christmas game of “Elf on the Shelf,” Mr. Ramadhan Moon wants to be found each day of Ramadan, and can also be found on each page of the book.

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The book is written in rhyme, which often is forced, but its ambition is appreciated as a lot of information is conveyed.  There is even a glossary of terms in the back.

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The book is ordered through Etsy and I think will be a blast for kids toddler to 3rd grade.  I’m planning to hide him daily this Ramadan and I’ve already read the book to my children who can’t wait to start a new Ramadan tradition.

Apr23

The Prophet’s Pond by Zaheer Khatri

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The Prophet’s Pond by Zaheer Khatri

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Based on the hadith as narrated by Saheeh Al-Bukhari, “Remain patient until you meet me by the pond.”  The book follows a little boy (and his mom) searching for the pond mentioned in hadith as the place Prophet Muhammad (saw) will be waiting for us in the hereafter.

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The beautiful, faceless pictures, radiate with beauty and light as they journey from pond to pond in search of one that has all the characteristics of the one described to us.  One that takes a month’s journey to cross one of the sides, one that is whiter than milk, smells better than musk, is colder than ice, is sweeter than honey, that has as many cups to drink from as stars in the sky, and one that if you drink from it you will never be thirsty again.  theprophetspondinside3.jpg

The mother is brought along on this journey to help, and it takes her a few ponds to figure out who her son is hoping to meet in this 23 page hardbound book.  But alas, the rhyming stanzas come to an end and she advises her boy, and the reader, to live the way the Prophet instructed to, inshaAllah, in the akhira meet him by his pond.

The book is perfect for 3  to 7 year olds, with older children enjoying a reading or two as well.  

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Mar27

To Catch a Bug by Nabeel Akbar illustrated by Anam Ahmed

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To Catch a Bug by Nabeel Akbar illustrated by Anam Ahmed

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This adorable preschool age book written in verse features a little girl who is fascinated by the bugs and creatures outside.  Highlighting Allah’s creations and adding in some humor, the little girl’s mom doesn’t love bugs very much, makes the book a silly read-a-loud that doesn’t get boring.

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The 8×8 size, 16 pages, makes it perfect for bedtime as it is labeled as a “bedtime short. ” The text size and length is ideal for the age group and the pictures perfectly engage the listeners with their chunky simplicity and brightness.

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The mom wears hijab, and Islamic phrases such as Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Inshallah, Bismillah are used, but not defined in the text, their is a glossary at the beginning.  Thus, it would work for non-Muslims, but the intended audience, i think, are little Muslim kids.

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Dec26

It Must Have Been You! by Zanib Mian illustrated by Fatima Mian

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It Must Have Been You! by Zanib Mian illustrated by Fatima Mian

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This rhyming 32 page book follows around a small girl, “about the same age as you,” who seems to make a mess every where she goes.  She never lies or even responds to the accusations of her unintentional messes, as she gets caught each time by someone in her family who points their finger and identifies the clues that led them to their answer. Luckily, she uses this pattern to her advantage as she cleans up and makes her family a card resulting in hugs, kisses, and love.

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Written for younger kids (4-6), the book is bright and colorful and very well done.  Even two and three year olds will enjoy the sing-song rhythm and chunky engaging illustrations.  The pages are thick and the binding solid, especially for a soft back book.  The 10 x 10 square size works well for story time and bedtime alike.  However, because the text is incorporated into the illustrations, if you are reading to a group, you will want to read it a few times before you present.  Looking at it straight on, the word order is much more clear and if you are reading it with emerging readers, I would recommend pointing to the words as you read, so as to help guide your listeners.  The fonts get a little crazy, which is part of the fun, but again may require some assistance to help the younger readers decipher the words.  Older independent readers (up to age 7 perhaps) might like the slight challenge of figuring out what word comes next, so that the story makes sense.

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The mom wears hijab and that is the only islamic reference or overt implication.  A fun book that thus far with multiple readings has yet to get monotonous and boring, yay!

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Oct2

The One: A Children’s Storybook about Allah by Manaal Jafrey-Razaque illustrated by Tanya Emelyanova

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The One: A Children’s Storybook about Allah by Manaal Jafrey-Razaque illustrated by Tanya Emelyanova

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This book is beautifully done, with its hard back binding and happy little illustrations.  Everything has a happy face drawn on.  The topic is Allah, and one can predict what the content is, there is nothing surprising in the rhyming pages that stress how Allah created everything and Allah is the one, singular.

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What I found nice, and in many ways expanded the audience from just being for small toddlers, but to elementary age Muslim children as well, is the reassuring tone in the second half of the book that Allah is always there for you, no matter what.

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The names of Allah in English are used and highlighted in a different colored text with a list of the Arabic and English meaning in the back.

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The book is 32 pages and meanders around in a light lilting manner.  Its simple illustrations and warmth make it fun at both story time and bedtime, and offer plenty of places to organically pause and get your child’s feedback, thoughts, and understanding.

Sep18

I Will Not Clean My Room by Saharish Arshad illustrated by Elsa Estrada

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I Will Not Clean My Room by Saharish Arshad illustrated by Elsa Estrada

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What a great premise for a children’s book, a little boy, Musa,  does not want to clean his room, and imagines all the better things he will get to do in Jannah (heaven) instead. Luckily for his room, his sister comes to help him tidy it up, as well as his mom and dad.  FullSizeRender (25)

The rhyme scheme and the kids’ imaginations at how wonderful Jannah will be, go hand in hand and make the book silly and fun.  The cartoonish illustrations also help sneak in messages of listening to your parents, cleaning your room, being kind to your siblings, helping each other, and ultimately doing things even if they are hard or boring to please Allah swt.  

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The book is a 28 page, 8×8, paperback.  The price is a little steep, $12, for its structure, in my opinion and is meant for Muslim readers.  The only real issue I had is when the mom threatens to flounce Musa. “Stop jumping and bouncing, or you’ll get a flouncing,”  seems excessive to me, and not consistent with how loving the family is throughout the rest of the book. It was probably included to maintain the rhyme scheme, but I took it to be a threat of violence, which I’m not ok with.

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The pictures show the mom in hijab, the word Jannah instead of heaven is used, the characters’ names are Islamic and Allah is mentioned throughout.  Musa’s thoughts on the last page are particularly sweet (see picture below).  I plan to read this to a group of kids at story time and will just omit the flouncing line, as it does well in appealing to ages 4 and up.  Three year olds may not understand it, but because of the rhyming, I think they will be equally entertained.

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Jul31

Zaahir & Jamel The Camel: At the Mosque by Amatullah AlMarwani illustrated by Sudha Choudhary

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Zaahir & Jamel The Camel: At the Mosque by Amatullah AlMarwani illustrated by Sudha Choudhary

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Another book in the Zaahir and Jamel the Camel series, this book explains to children how to behave at the mosque.  The pictures are colorful and busy, engaging children 2 and a half and up.  Younger children can enjoy the bolder aspects, and older children will enjoy the details.  Some of the text seems to hide behind the geometric shapes, but I would imagine the story is usually read aloud and not independently, so it isn’t too much of a problem.

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Just like when Zaahir and Jamel went for Hajj, the short rhyming sentences go step by step on what to expect as the story follows Zaahir and Jamel through the process: they take off their shoes, they make wudu, they stand for salat, they make du’aa, they stay quiet and respectful.

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The book is 23 pages, but the story is really only 17 pages.  The story is followed by Games and Activities including a quiz and a crossword puzzle, and then a Glossary.  The quiz is great when reading aloud to a group or even just at bed time to make sure the children understood the key points.

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The book is small and rectangular, which makes it work better in smaller groups (6.6 x 9.5), but for a book that cost less than a dollar online, it really should be in every child’s library.  Its a great review for little ones before Jumaah or just as a gentle reminder that praying in the mosque is something that all Muslims have in common.  It also works well for parents of non muslim kids that might be coming to the mosque and want to know what to expect, and how to act.

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Jul5

My Special Angels: The Two Noble Scribes by Razana Noor illustrated by Omar Burgess

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My Special Angels: The Two Noble Scribes by Razana Noor illustrated by Omar Burgess

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The book starts with a brief introduction to Kiraman Katibin, the two recording angels, and reminds parents that before the age of maturity only the good deeds are recorded. That being established the book then works to develop the conscientiousness of having all of our actions recorded, so that we train ourselves from a young age to be mindful of what we do and say.

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Following a precious little boy with fantastic hair, and a bit of a mischievous smile, the reader learns how we each have an angel on our right and left side.  We learn how sharing makes the angel on the right happy, as does stopping ourselves from getting mad.  We learn that its the little things and the big things, the stuff we do in public and the stuff that we think no one sees that get written down.  The angel on the left notes down all the mistakes too, and these make the angel sad.  But alhumdulillah apologies and forgiveness can rub away good deeds, guiding us on the path to jannah, inshaAllah.

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The beautiful full color pictures are beyond adorable, and the rhyming couplets work perfect for preschoolers.  The font, the playfulness of the text on each of the 24 pages, the hardbound book and the 10 x 10 size make this book absolutely perfect for books shelves and for story time.  There is a glossary at the back that defines not just the Arabic words, but also some of the english vocabulary words that might need some explaining:  glee, deeds, angels.  My only complaint is that there isn’t a whole series of books by this author and illustrator coaching and guiding our little muslims in manners and basic belief.

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