Booklist

Find out about the Libraries in Afghanistan Project

Children’s Books with Muslim and Related Cultural Themes

Compiled by Rukhsana Khan

Contemporary Picture Books

AKTAR, Nasreen. Samira's Eid. illus. by Enebor Attard. Mantra Lingua. 2000.

A simple Eid story.

ALEXANDER, Sue. Nadia the Willful. illus. by Lloyd Bloom. Dragonfly Books. 1992.

A poignant story about bereavement through the eyes of a strong Arab heroine.

BINT ROBERT, Na'ima. The Swirling Hijaab. illus. by Nilesh Mistry. Mantra Lingua. 2002.

A little girl enjoys playing imaginatively with her mother's religious headscarf.

DIAKITE, Penda. I Lost My Tooth in Africa. illus. by Baba Wague Diakite. Scholastic Press. 2006

An effortless blend of parallel cultures, written by a child.

english, Karen. Nadia’s Hands. illus. by Jonathan Weiner. Boyds Mills. 2003.
Set in North America, a South Asian girl feels self-conscious after putting henna on her hands.

heide, Florence Parry & Judith Heide Gilliland. The Day of Ahmed’s Secret. illus. by Ted Lewin. HarperCollins. 1995.
Set in Egypt, a boy learns to spell his name.

heide, Florence Parry & Judith Heide Gilliland. Sami and the Time of Troubles. illus. by Ted Lewin. Clarion. 1992.
Sami deals with the realities of war in Beirut.

HOFFMAN, Mary. The Color of Home. illus. by Karin Littlewood. Dial. 2002.

A young boy deals with leaving his war torn homeland and coming to America.

KATZ, Karen. My First Ramadan. Henry Holt. 2007

A simple look at the Muslim month of fasting

khan, Rukhsana. The Roses in My Carpets. illus. by Ronald Himler. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2004.
An Afghan refugee finds hope amid adversity.

khan, Rukhsana. Ruler of the Courtyard. illus. by Gregory R. Christie. Viking. 2003.
A Pakistani girl overcomes her fear of chickens.

khan, Rukhsana. King of the Skies. illus. by Laura Fernandez & Rick Jacobsen. Scholastic. 2001.
A crippled boy in Pakistan has one day, ever year, that he rules: the day of Basunt, the kite festival.

khan, Rukhsana. Silly Chicken. illus. by Yunmee Kyong. Viking. 2005.
A Pakistani girl is jealous of her mother’s pet hen.

kyuchukov, Hristo. My Name Was Hussein. illus. Allan Eitzen. Boyds Mills. 2004.
A story based on the author’s experience growing up as a Muslim in Bulgaria and being forced to change his name.

mobin-uddin, Asma. My Name Is Bilal. illus. by Barbara Kiwak. Boyds Mills. 2005.
A young boy learns to appreciate his Muslim culture and name.

MOBIN-UDDIN, Asma. The Best Eid Ever. illus. by Laura Jacobsen. Boyds Mills. 2007

A touching story about neighbourly charity and a young Pakistani-American girl celebrating Eid ul Adha.

munsch, Robert & Saoussan Askar. From Far Away. illus. by Michael Martchenko. Annick. 1995.
This is a collaboration based on the story of Askar, who left Beirut for North America at age five.

nye, Naomi Shihab. Sitti’s Secrets. illus. by Nancy Carpenter. S & S. 1994.
A young American returns to her roots in Palestine to visit her grandmother.

Contemporary Novels and Short Story Collections

ABDEL-FATTAH, Randa. Does My Head Look Big in This? Orchard Books. 2007

A humorous novel about an Australian girl who starts to wear hijab.

baig, Reshma. The Memory of Hands. Amirah. 1998.
A poetic collection of short stories about Muslims in America.

budhos, Marina. Ask Me No Questions. S & S. 2006.
A novel about the trials a Bangladeshi girl’s family faces as illegal immigrants in post-9/11 America.

ELLIS, Deborah, WALTERS, Eric. Bifocal. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2007

Despite problems with Muslim characterizations, this novel provides excellent analysis of the political realities we face today.

ellis, Deborah. Mud City. Groundwood. 2003.
Sequel to Parvana’s Journey, about Parvana’s friend’s continued adventures.

ellis, Deborah. Parvana’s Journey. Groundwood. 2003.
The story of a young Afghan girl separated from her family during a war in Afghanistan

emerick, Yahiya. Ahmad Deen and the Jinn at Shaolin. Amirah. 1996.
Ahmad Deen travels to China and finds a mystery.

khan, Rukhsana. Muslim Child. illus. by Jonathan Weiner. Boyds Mills. 2003.
A collection of short stories and poems about Islam from a child’s perspective.

khan, Rukhsana. Dahling, if You Luv Me, Would You Please, Please Smile. Stoddart. 1999.
A Muslim girl tries to appease the kids in her classroom.

laird, Elizabeth. Kiss the Dust. Puffin. 1994.
A historical novel about a young Kurdish girl’s flight from Iraq under Saddam.

laird, Elizabeth, with Sonia Nimr. A Little Piece of Ground. Macmillan. 2004.
A heartwrenching story set in Israeli occupied Gaza.

melling, O. R. My Blue Country. Viking. 1996.
A novel about an exchange visit to Malaysia.

nye, Naomi Shihab. Habibi. S & S. 1997.
A romantic novel about a young American girl who goes with her family to Palestine.

nye, Naomi Shihab. The Space between Our Footsteps. S & S. 1998.
A wonderful collection of poems that give voice to Middle Eastern perspectives.

simpson, Juwairiah. J. L. The Jinn in the Clock. American Trust. 1990.
Features a framed story from the storyteller Duwairig.

simpson, Juwairiah. J. L. A Wicked Wazir. American Trust. 1990.
Linked to the previous title, again Duwairig frames a story of court intrigue.

temple, Frances. The Bedouin’s Gazelle. Scholastic. 1996.
An amazing novel set in a Bedouin society in the year 1302.

Folktales

burns, Khephra. Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali. Illus. by Leo Dillion & Diane Dillon. Harcourt. 2001.
A story about the childhood of the famed king of Mali.

conover, Sarah & Freda Crane, adapts. Ayat Jamila: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents. illus. by Valerie Wahl. EWU. 2004.
A collection of folktales and wisdom culled from the Muslim world.

durkee, Noura. The Animals of Paradise. illus. by Simon Trethewey. Amideast. 1996.
The animals in paradise tell stories of how they helped various messengers of God.

Johnson-Davies, Denys. Animal Tales from the Arab World. illus. by Eda S. Ghali. Amideast. 1995.
A collection of fables about animals set in the Arab culture.

lewin, Ted. The Storytellers. illus. by author. HarperCollins. 1998.
Set in Morocco, it deals with the craft of storytelling.

tarnowska, Wafa’, retel. The Seven Wise Princesses: A Medieval Persian Epic. Illus. by Nilesh Mistry. Barefoot. 2000.
A collection based on a classic Persian folktale.

walker, Barbara. Watermelons, Walnuts and the Wisdom of Allah and Other Tales of the Hoca. illus. by Harold Berson. Texas Tech. 1991.
One of many collections of stories about the folk figure by the name of Mullah Nasruddin or Nasruddin Hoja, Joha or Hoca that are widespread through the Middle East.

zeman, Ludmila, retel. Sindbad: From the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights. illus. by retel. Tundra. 1999.
A lush retelling of the famous story from the Arabian Nights.

Nonfiction

al-gailani, Noorah & Chris Smith. The Islamic Year: Surahs, Stories, and Celebrations. illus. by Helen Williams. Hawthorn. 2003
Part biography of Muhammad and part activity book, this book helps children understand the significance of the holidays.

beardwood, Mary. The Children’s Encyclopaedia of Arabia. Stacey International. 2002.
A well-illustrated guide to the region.

borrello, Helen. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Chelsea House. 1995.
A biography of the first Muslim African American basketball star.

demi. Muhammad. illus. by author. S & S. 2003.
An excellent picture book biography of Islam’s Prophet.

ellis, Deborah. Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak. Groundwood. 2004.
A courageous and brutally honest look at the conflict in Israel/Palestine in the words of Israeli and Palestinian children.

ghazi, Suhaib Hamid. Ramadan. illus. by Omar Rayyan. Holiday House. 1996.
An informative book about the month of fasting.

hoyt-goldsmith, Diane. Celebrating Ramadan. photos. by Lawrence Migdale. Holiday House. 2001.
Set in America it follows a young Muslim through this month.

islam, Yusuf. A Is for Allah. Mountain of Light. 2000.
Contains wonderful songs and text (by the former rock star Cat Stevens).

islam, Yusuf. The Life of the Last Prophet. Mountain of Light. 1996.
A wonderful, brief introduction to the story of Muhammad (peace be upon him) that includes beautifully rendered songs.

khan, Saniyasnain. Tell Me about Hajj. Al-Risala. 2001.
Well illustrated, this book takes the reader through the steps of the fifth pillar of Islam.

kHAn, Saniyasnain. Tell Me about Muhammad. Al-Risala. 2001.
A good resource on the life of Muhammad.

knight, Khadija. Islamic Festivals. Heinemann Library. 1997.
A very good resource that includes information beyond the festivals.

macdonald, Fiona. A 16th Century Mosque. Hodder Wayland. 1996.
A beautifully illustrated book that examines Islamic architecture.

malcolm X, with Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Penguin. 2004.
An excellent read and good starting point in understanding the Islamic movement in the African American community.

mcmane, Fred. Hakeem Olajuwon. Chelsea House. 1997.
A biography of the African basketball star.

rumford, James. Traveling Man. illus. by author. Houghton. 2001.
An intriguing look at the famous Muslim traveler.

rummel, Jack. Malcolm X. Chelsea House. 1989.
A children’s biography of the activist.

rummel, Jack. Muhammad Ali. Chelsea House. 1988.
A biography of the famous boxer.

stamaty, Mark Alan. Alia’s Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq. illus. by author. Knopf. 2004.
Another story based on Alia Muhammad Baker’s ordeal in Iraq.

SIDDIQUI, Haroon. Being Muslim. Groundwood. 2006.

An informative look at Muslim issues from a political angle.

wilkinson, Philip. Islam. DK. 2002.
A detailed guide to Islam.

winter, Jeanette. The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq. illus. by author. Harcourt. 2005.
Based on the true story of Alia Muhammad Baker’s quest to save the books in her library during the American invasion of Iraq.

YEE, James. For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire. Public Affairs. 2005

A memoir from the Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo Bay wrongfully accused of treason.