This latest installment of an Islamic picture-book series examines the marvelous creations of Allah in the globe’s many wonders.
Every night, Hakima and Hadi look forward to hearing stories from Mama and Baba. Baba teaches them the Arabic phrase “Laa Ilaaha Illallaah,” which “means there is no god except Allah.” Hakima and Hadi are invited to study this religious tenet by exploring, through their parents’ tales, the lush rainforest, the vast ocean, the deep reaches of outer space, and the expansive desert. Mama and Baba point out all the things that make each setting unique: the trees, the stars and planets, the cacti and camels, and so forth. They are reminded that all of the beauty around them is a gift from Allah, the one and only creator of the universe, through repeated use of the phrase “Laa Ilaaha Illallaah.” These imaginative adventures are skillfully described by Abidi (Tales of the Last Messenger, 2019, etc.) in rhyming verse and coupled with bright, cheerful, uncredited digital illustrations depicting a loving, involved nuclear family of color in setting-appropriate costumes (such as safari hats or space suits). This is an excellent primer for children in English-speaking homes whose parents are hoping to familiarize them with the teachings of Islam in a way that is simple, joyful, and fun. The repetition of the key Arabic phrase helps to instill the story’s central concept in the minds of young readers.
An engaging, much-needed tale to aid Muslim parents in sharing their faith with their kids.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-68312-126-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: Kisa Kids Publications
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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BOOK REVIEW
With a little help from his audience, a young storyteller gets over a solid case of writer’s block in this engaging debut.
Despite the (sometimes creatively spelled) examples produced by all his classmates and the teacher’s assertion that “Stories are everywhere!” Ralph can’t get past putting his name at the top of his paper. One day, lying under the desk in despair, he remembers finding an inchworm in the park. That’s all he has, though, until his classmates’ questions—“Did it feel squishy?” “Did your mom let you keep it?” “Did you name it?”—open the floodgates for a rousing yarn featuring an interloping toddler, a broad comic turn and a dramatic rescue. Hanlon illustrates the episode with childlike scenes done in transparent colors, featuring friendly-looking children with big smiles and widely spaced button eyes. The narrative text is printed in standard type, but the children’s dialogue is rendered in hand-lettered printing within speech balloons. The episode is enhanced with a page of elementary writing tips and the tantalizing titles of his many subsequent stories (“When I Ate Too Much Spaghetti,” “The Scariest Hamster,” “When the Librarian Yelled Really Loud at Me,” etc.) on the back endpapers.
An engaging mix of gentle behavior modeling and inventive story ideas that may well provide just the push needed to get some budding young writers off and running. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0761461807
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 22, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This companion piece to the other fairy tales Marcia Brown has interpreted (see Puss In Boots, 1952, p. 548 and others) has the smoothness of a good translation and a unique charm to her feathery light pictures. The pictures have been done in sunset colors and the spreads on each page as they illustrate the story have the cumulative effect of soft cloud banks. Gentle.
Pub Date: June 15, 1954
ISBN: 0684126761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1954
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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