Three picture books co-authored by Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and author SK Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly.
Incy has been enjoying these two lovely picture books that promote diversity, respect for one another, and promote self-esteem.
The Proudest Blue is a New York Times Best seller. It is about a girl called Asiya who wears hijab (khimar) for the first time to school and faces bullying. We see the story through her sister, Faizah’s, eyes with her awe-inspired, sumptuous descriptions of the headscarf her sister chooses to wear for her first day.
The Kindest Red re-visits the two sisters featured in the first book, Faizah and Asiya, as they prepare for picture day. When Faizah’s teacher asks her class to imagine what kind of world they would want to live in Faizah imagines a world where everyone is kind to one another. She even tries to create this in the school playground. This is a book about celebrating differences and similarities and one that all school aged children will enjoy. Ibtihaj includes a note in the book linking the theme to her faith as a Muslim.
In addition to readers seeing diversity through faith, the central characters are African-American, reflecting the author’s heritage. These are the books we were missing on our school and library bookshelves! They have become incredibly popular in the UK and elsewhere.
You can buy The Proudest Blue and The Kindest Red and the latest book in the series, called The Boldest White by clicking on the images below. Incy is looking forward to reading the Boldest White soon too!
This review is part of a series of Muslim Kids Books. You can buy more or read review from the listed books here