THE NAME CHRONICLES

What’s in a name when it belongs to an important figure in Islam? A nonfiction book uses a graphic novel format to demystify the subject for older children.

“Our names are a very special part of us,” Mir writes. “Many times, they shape our personalities and even explain who we are or the person we would like to become.” So it’s fitting that this book pays close attention to names as it profiles 14 important figures in Islam, beginning with the Prophet Muhammad and moving chronologically through to Imam Al-Mahdi. Each chapter focuses on a different person and includes key facts about its subject’s life and a timeline of its religiously and historically significant events. But comic book–style stories about the figures—and how their words and deeds exemplify their names—form the heart of the collection. Mir, the author of Tales of the Messenger (2019), uses eye-catching pages to describe people like Imam Al-Kadhim, whose name means “the one who swallows his anger.” One day a farmer insults Imam Al-Kadhim, based on falsehoods he’s heard, and the imam’s companions want to use violence to teach the farmer a lesson. But the imam treats the man kindly, asking what he hopes to earn off his land. When the farmer says “Two hundred gold coins!,” Imam Al-Kadhim gives him 300, changing the man’s opinion of his character. As the book tells such stories, it abounds with undefined Arabic words and phrases—and references to events in Islamic history—which only readers who understand Arabic may be able to appreciate. Although some word bubbles have confusing placement, the engaging illustrations nonetheless may appeal to preteen and older children.

A child-friendly book about Islamic figures’ names that speaks mainly to the initiated.