Annotated Booklist: Diverse Books
Listed here are children's books that feature Muslim characters. Additional resources include multimedia, online resources, and articles. This list is for children ages 4-12 years old.
Books
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan
Citation: Khan, R. (2010). Big red lollipop. Viking Books for Young Readers.
About: This book is about siblings relationships and cultural differences. Rubina has been invited to her first birthday party, but she must take her younger sister Sana with her. It does not go well with Sana throwing tantrums and stealing Rubina's red lollipop.
Age Group: 4-8 years old
Lailah's Lunchbox by Reem Faruqi
Citation: Faruqi, R. (2015). Lailah's lunchbox: A Ramadan story. Tilbury House Publishers.
About: Lailah recently moved from Abu Dhabi to Georgia. While Lailah has started to make friends, she is not sure how to explain to them why she is not eating lunch. Since this is the first time she is able to participate in Ramadan she is excited, but she does not know how to express her mixed emotions.
Age Group: 5-8 years old
Under My Hijab by Hena Khan
Citation: Khan, H. (2019). Under my hijab. Lee & Low Books.
About: This story, told in rhyme, is about a girl who interacts with various women in her life. She observes the these women and their hijab: how they wear it, how they style their hair when they are not wearing it, and what their interests are. This book teaches children more about head dressings and why people choose to wear them.
Age Group: 4-7 years old
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns by Hena Khan
Citation: Khan, H. (2012). Golden domes and silver lanterns: A Muslim book of colors. Chronicle Books.
About: A simple book used to introduce children to Islam and to teach them about the culture and some vocabulary. Colors are taught by linking them to objects that are common in the Muslim community. It has beautiful illustrations.
Age Group: 4-7 years old
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Citation: Muhammad, I. (2019). The proudest blue: A story of hijab and family. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
About: Faizah is excited for the first day of school. She is especially looking forward to it because her big sister Asiya will wear her hijab for the first time. The hijab is a gorgeous blue that Faizah just loves. But the other children at school see it as different, therefore, something to make fun of.
Age Group: 4-8 years old
Mommy's Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Citation: Thompkins-Bigelow, J. (2018). Mommy's khimar. Salaam Reads.
About: This beautifully illustrated book shows a girl as she tries on her mother's khimars, or hijabs. A sweet story full of imagination. This story is inclusive and diverse. It is a celebration of the hijab and a good pick for any child.
Age Group: 4-8 years old
Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian
Citation: Mian, Z. (2019). Planet Omar: Accidental trouble magnet. Hodder Children's Books .
About: A fun and fast read about inclusion and acceptance. Omar moves to a new town and a new school. He is bullied because of his race and religion but he is able to get through it all with his wonderful imagination.
Age Group: 6-12 years old
The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi
Citation: Riazi, K. (2017). The gauntlet. Salaam Reads.
About: A Middle Eastern retelling of Jumanji that follows three friends from New York City. Farah and her best friends get sucked into a mechanical board game called The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand. This story has a lot of action, adventure, games, and puzzles.
Age Group: 8-12 years old
Multimedia
Qur'an For Little Muslims
Citation: Saadeh, A & Saadeh, N. (2006). Qur'an for little Muslims. Noorart.
About: These are CDs that translate stories from the Qur'an. These are a good introduction for young Muslim children.
Age Group: 4-8 years old
More to the Story by Hena Khan
Citation: Khan, H. (2019). More to the story. Blackstone Audio.
About: This story is a modern retelling of Little Women. Jameela dreams of being an award-winning journalist like her grandfather. She gets the perfect opportunity to show her work when she is picked as the featured editor of her school newspaper. When her father takes a job overseas and her sister becomes sick, she must find the will to create an amazing article.
Age Group: 8-12 years old
Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
Citation: Khan, H. (2017). Amina's voice [Kit]. Recorded Books.
About: As Amina moves up to middle school, she starts questioning herself. Her old friend is conforming to their new classmates and Amina wonders if she should too. With everything in her life changing, will Amina be able to find her identity?
Age Group: 8-12 years old
Online Resources
About: This is an educational tool for teaching Muslim children about their religion. There is a blog, games, activities, and parent resources.
About: This is an educational streaming platform. Not only are there videos, there are also ebooks, activities, and resources.
URL: http://kids.islamweb.net/kids/en/
About: IslamWeb is a fun, vibrant website for young children. There are many videos to help children learn more about Islam and the Qur'an.
URL: http://www.readlittlemuslims.com/
About: Provides resources on books for Muslim children. There are free resources and a newletter.
About: This is a streaming platform for children. There are also activities and coloring pages available.
URL: https://kitaabworld.com/pages/counter-islamophobia-through-stories
About: Kitaab World offers resources for finding books featuring Muslim characters. It aims to fight against Islamophobia by suggesting quality books.
URL: https://www.learningroots.com/
About: This website is a supplementary resource for parents to teach Islam to their children at home.
Articles
Citation: Al-Hazza, T.C. & Bucher, K.T. (2008). Building Arab Americans' cultural identity and acceptance with children's literature. The Reading Teacher, 62(3), 210-219.
About: This article discusses why it is so important for children to see characters like them in the books they read. This is especially important for children who are stereotyped or bullied because of their cultural identity.
Citation: Khan, H. (2017). Literary Hub. Retrieved from https://lithub.com/muslim-american-kids-need-to-see-more-of-themselves-in-pop-culture/
About: Pakistani-American author Hena Khan writes about the need to combat Islamophobia. Khan writes children's books with characters like her and her friends because growing up she did not have those. Because of the stereotypes against Muslims, it is important to have books with Muslim characters to show that they are beautiful and special just like every other human in this world.
Citation: Eberhardt, V. (2018). Representations of religion and culture in children’s literature. Journal for Religion, Film, and Media, 4(1), 81-99.
About: Like the other two articles, this article hammers in the necessity for region and culture in children's literature to help combat prejudices. It is also very important for children to see people like themselves in the stories they read.