Na'ima bint RobertRezensionen

Mabrook! takes readers inside the world of Muslim weddings, including festive traditions like henna parties, drums and dancing, clothing traditions, and blessings and vows, from Pakistan, Morocco, Somalia, and the UK. Author’s Note, Glossary.

This beautifully illustrated children’s picture book describes the anticipation of Ramadan, the excitement of the season, and the sadness that comes with the waning moon signaling the end of Ramadan. The voice is that of a young Muslim girl explaining Ramadan to someone outside the Islamic faith. The book is suitable for public and school library collections.½

This children’s picture book follows a Muslim family on a pilgrimage to Mecca. It illustrates and describes the sacred sites and customs that are part of the Hajj (pilgrimage). The book would fit many public and school library collections. It might be useful to share with children before a journey to Mecca to prepare them for what they will see and experience.½

This colorful children’s picture book describes Muslim wedding customs in four different countries – Pakistan, Morocco, Somalia, and Great Britain. The colorful illustrations complement the brief and informative text, which includes a glossary of words from languages other than English. It would be a good addition to school and public library collections.

We fly on a dream to visit the Art of Islam!

What an imaginative introduction for kids and adults to a history of art, architecture, AND geography!

Illustrations are splendid and invite readers to want to learn even more.

There is a lot in this book. It is divided into three parts.
In Part I, the story is told by Tariro, a 14-year-old girl in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at the time, 1964). She loves her family and her home, in the fertile land around the great baobab tree where her ancestors had lived for generations. But white settlers claim more and more land, eventually shuffling her tribe to a barren resettlement area in order to hand the fertile land to white farmers. Her life becomes a misery, capped off by being raped by the brutal white man who had always done the most harm to her people. In spite of herself, she loves the baby within her.
In Part II, the story jumps to 2000 in Zimbabwe. On that same land, around that same baobab tree, 14-year-old Katie and her white family farm the land, as they have for many years. It is the only home she has ever known. But it is a time of political turmoil, and land owned by white people is being taken and redistributed, back to the black tribes from whom the land was stolen so many years ago. Katie and her family are eventually forced to leave. Sent to London, which they all hate.
In Part III, the connection between Tariro and Katie finally becomes clear. I made many guesses as I read how they would end up being related, and one of my guesses was correct, but I had several wrong ones too.
It's a powerful story of justice vs. injustice, compassion vs. brutality, racism vs. love for fellow man, and what "home" and "family" really mean.

In my opinion this is a great book for young readers. One of the reasons I like it is because it helps students learn beyond their home language. For example, right above the words in English are the same words in Arabic. This allows for children who natively speak Arabic to be able to read it in their home language while also learning to read it in English. This could go for students who speak English. They see the words in English while also learning the words in Arabic. Another reason I like this story is because of the illustrations. For example, it shows the women and men their traditional attire. This helps broaden students horizons because they can see that not everyone dresses the way an American would dress. The main message in this story is to appreciate where you come from and your culture.

The swirling Hijaab is a bilingual story about a young girl talking about all the ways she can use her mom's Hijaab. I enjoy that the book is about the Arabic culture, which you do not often see in many schools. This is the perfect book to use in a Social Studies class and a catalyst to start a healthy conversation with students about the Muslim culture.

A beautiful girl illustrates all her different uses of her mother's hijaab. In the end, she explains what a hijaab means to their faith. This books could be used to introduce different cultures in a history class, although it is a fairy tale, it still gave the explanation of the hijaab.

This book was definitely very informational when it came to how Muslims celebrate weddings. I would say the meaning of the book is that just because they are the same religion doesn’t mean they celebrate or have the same ceremonies across the world. One of my favorite parts of the book would probably be the glossary at the end. The glossary helped me understand the words that I had never heard of and what they meant. Another thing I liked about the would be the illustrations, they really depicted how the ceremonies might look like. The one about the ceremonies in Great Britain the book had said “scented garden” the author or illustrator made sure to have a flower arch way. The flower arch way portrayed the imagery needed to convey what the author was saying.

I enjoyed reading this book for many reasons. My number one reason is the message about culture and identity. The young girl in the book talks about all the ways her Mother's hijab can be used; for example, a bedouin tent or a fort. But, in the end, it says the most important use for it is to cover her Mum as part of her faith. This book pushes readers to accept other religions and learn about the Muslim culture. I also love the language used in this book; not only is it easy and enjoyable to read, but it is also written in the Arabic language. This is also a great way to make other cultures prominent in schools.

This book is really well laid out and designed. I thought that the way that the text was inside of the pictures and artwork was very aesthetically pleasing and well done. I also noticed how much I disagreed with the portrayal of the pilgrimage because of what I have heard and seen about how hectic and chaotic it really often is. Either way, it was interesting to see how much I was challenging the content, even thoughtI am not a Muslim.

Learn about the importance of Ramadan and what it means to people all over the world. Read all about the kindness and giving that makes Ramadan such a wonderful holiday, as you practice breaking fasts, praying through the day, and sharing food and love with friends and family.

One thing I liked about this book is its poetry format. I think it sets the book apart from other books that talk about Muslim traditions. Students are able to learn about a new writing medium, while at the same time learning about another culture. When I was in school the poetry I learned was supposed to rhyme, but this book shows another way to write poetry and I like that too. Another thing I liked about the book is that it includes extra information on the back page. For example, it mentions The Black Stone, and explains what it is. The message is simple; the Muslim tradition of pilgrimage brings people closer together. This is shown through the words "Strangers, sisters, Strangers, brothers" near the end.

The Swirling Hijaab teaches young readers that a Hijaab can be empowering. I like the bright colors used in the illustrations of this book. It is fun to read and is engaging. The main character imagines herself wearing the Hijaab and becoming a powerful warrior or a nomad in the desert, or a bride. The plot is logical even though it has elements of fantasy. I like how she celebrates her religion and what makes her different. She is smiling with a bright face in each scene. This book would be a great introduction to Muslim culture. She explains what a hijaab is used for for those who may not know. I like how there is a sense of magic to the story. She entrances the reader, almost like they can put themselves in the desert with her.

The swirling Hijaab is a story about a young girl talking about all the ways she can use her mums hijaab. I like this book for many reason. First, I enjoy that the book is about the Arabic culture, which you do not often see in many schools. Another amazing aspect about this children’s book is it bilingual. The story is written in both English and Arabic. The authors decision to include the translations makes the book really stand out and exposes the readers to Arabic writing. The book exposed you to many things about the young girls’ culture. For example, her mom’s hijaab is worn for religious purposes which you are not told till the end of the book where it states, “But covering my mum as part of her faith is what the hijab does best.” The book gave you a simple explanation about why Arabic women wear hijaabs. In my opinion the front cover of the book is very appealing. It is very colorful and has a picture of a young girl which is appealing for children of the same age. I also liked the font the author chose for the English font in the book. The font had a similar style to the Arabic writing above. I liked that the illustrations were very simplistic throughout the story because it did not take away from the Arabic and English translations. The story itself is also very simple. In the book each page has a short and simple sentence describing how the young girl is using her mums hijaab. Overall, I really enjoy this children’s book and believe it would be a positive addition to any teachers’ classroom.

I liked this book because it helped me as a reader to understand customs in a religion that I do not personally know a lot about and I'm sure it would do the same for any other reader who didn't know much about it as well. It focuses on the Muslim culture and how the hijaab comes into play. The writing is playful and flows well in my opinion. The story shows a girl who is playing with her mothers hijaab in many alternative ways. For example, at one point the young girl uses her mothers hijaab as a picnic blanket. I like that the author did this because a picnic is something that is universally known and in this way, the author is allowing its readers to relate to someone who may not be all that relatable. The story is told in 1st person by the young daughter as she speaks about herself and her mother. The illustrations were very beautiful such ad the image on the front cover of the book. The book is, in my opinion, very engaging and does a good job of allowing the reader to take a look at something that they might not be very familiar with.

I did like this book for several reasons. First, the book was written in both Arabic and English which is beneficial to Arabic speaking students who are learning English. It provides a sneak peek into a culture some students might not be familiar with. I also like the book because it embraces Muslim traditions of women wearing Hijab's and explores all of the fun things that a little girl can do with her mothers Hijab. I find this to be particularly important in America at this time, when some Muslim's might not feel safe expressing pride in their religion. At the end of the story there is a dedication to the daughters of Islam, past, present and future. I like how that shows unity, a great message for all young readers.

I saw this recommended along with Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah, which I loved, and as it sounded interesting, I put it on my “books to look out for” list.

She Wore Red Trainers switches back and forth between two teenagers who keep bumping into each other during the summer after high school. It’s an interesting look at what life can be like for practising Muslims in South London, and it depicts aspects of that culture which I didn’t know about.

But as a YA novel about dealing with family issues, the pressures of family expectations and working out what to do after high school, it’s pretty unremarkable. Not as moving nor as tightly written as it could have been - unlike some other novels that deal with similar themes (albeit in different contexts).½

As far as I know there is a dearth of youth fiction depicting the Somalian immigrant experience, so this is a welcome find. Safia is 14 and her family lives in the projects (or estates) of London. After 12 years, the family is reunited with her long-lost Abo (father) and his re-inclusion in their lives shifts the family dynamic. Safia questions her role in the family and the trajectory of her life, and turns to cousin Firdous, the family bad girl, as a confidant. The characters and narrative could use a substantial fleshing out for a more complete story, but as a contribution to the field this is a good pick.

Reading this, in particular Tariro's story, put me in mind of "Shabanu," similarly giving a strong sense of place and time and the importance of the relationship of Tariro's people to the land. Katie's story was disturbing in that the white Zimbabweans' beliefs about blacks is so at odds with what I know and my own beliefs. This also reveals a history and culture many young people are not familiar with and does so in a compelling way.

An affirming book of the Islamic faith for Muslim children and families, as well as an introduction to those unfamiliar with the religion (there is a short glossary of terms in the back, but background will need to be provided when sharing this story with non-adherents). The illustrations portray believers of all skin shades, subtly informing the reader that Muslims are not of one certain ethnicity or physical appearance.

This is an enjoyable story of two teenagers trying to find their place in the world. Born in Britain to Pakistani parents, they struggle with the religious aspects of their daily lives. At the start of Ramadan, the twins make the decision to be better, more prayerful Muslims but gradually they find themselves being falling into old habits with the demands and choices of everyday life. Both Faraz and Farhana are worthy protagonists, however, one of my favourite characters in the book is Aunt Najma. She plays an important role in the twins' spiritual journey, but she also has a rebellious streak and has the family abuzz when it is discovered she wants to marry a white man. Dealing with issues such as family, religion, tradition, choices and trust, I found this to be a really interesting book.

An appealing, colorful story about a family celebrating Ramadan.

In the voice of a child excited about Ramadan, the lead-up to, the month during, the excitement for Eid, and the Eid celebration are all articulated in a way that explains the purpose, while also naturally grasping the joy that some Muslims feel for Ramadan.

Some of my Muslim students-- the ones who love Ramadan-- LOVED this story. They were giddy about telling me their favorite part of Ramadan, show me how the girls in the story are wearing new dresses, teach me how to say the prayer... It was fun to see kids elated to have a piece of their religious identity reflected in a book.