“We are Muslim women, my Noor.
Unapologetic and true.
We are believers. We are dreamers.
We are thinkers. We are leaders.
We can wear our hijabs on our heads
Like our hearts on our sleeves.
Whether you choose to or not, my Noor,
We are so many things …
And we are more than enough.
“My hijab is not just a scarf.
It means more to me.
It is a reminder of who I am.
Where I’m from and
Where I’m going to be.
And perhaps one day
You’ll understand what I mean.
Because, most of all
Without my hijab, my Noor,
I don’t feel like me.”
Not Now, Noor
Today we have been reading
Three brilliant and beautiful books
That celebrate Muslim girls and women
And the importance and significance
Of wearing hijab
These three stories
Are about family and friendship
About identity and belonging
New experiences
Sibling love
Courage, kindness and curiosity
Each of these books
Filled with strong female protagonists
Celebrate the beauty of
Faith, family, friendship kindness
These are books act as
Mirrors and windows
These powerful stories
Are about being proud
Of yourself and your beliefs
About being accepting
And understanding of the
Beliefs, faiths
Customs and traditions
Of others
We are all different
Our diversity makes us stronger
We should celebrate
Who we are and share
The things that matter most
These three books will inspire
Little readers and their grown ups
To do exactly that
Be proud
Be kind
Be curious
Like Faizah, Asiya
And Noor
The Proudest Blue
This is a powerful and poignant tale of the bond between siblings. We follow Faizah into her first day of school and her big sister, Asiya, wearing her hijab to school for the first time. We see the day through Faizah’s eyes. Her love for her big sister, how she is proud of her and looks up to her, hoping to be just like her one day. We see Faizah feel protective toward Asiya when she is teased about her hijab. Through the story we read Mama’s wise words for her daughters about being strong, being proud and trying to ignore the hurtful words of others. This beautiful story shares how the sisters find strength in their Muslim faith and in their love for one another, and how this helps them cope with prejudice and unkindness. This brilliant book will help children be proud of who they are and what they believe. It will help children to understand one another and be kind to each other. This book should be in all schools, libraries and homes.
“Mama: Don’t carry around the hurtful words that others say.
Drop them.
They are not yours to keep.
They belong to those who said them.”
The Proudest Blue
The Kindest Red
Here we meet Faizah and Asiya again. It is School Photograph Day and the girls are excited. At school Faizah’s teacher asks the children to think about what kind of world they would like to live in. Faizah wants a Kind World. Filled with friends helping one another. Together Faizah and Sophie try to make their school playground a better place with acts of kindness. Soon it is time for photographs. The class photo is filled with smiles but when the time comes for sibling photos Faizah is sad that she does not match Asiya. Faizah’s friends come together and in a true act of kindness save the day, making Faizah and Asiya’s Picture Day the most beautiful one ever.
Every time I read this book it makes me smile. A celebration of hijab, of faith, family and friendship. Of making the world a better place through our one true superpower … kindness.
Not Now, Noor
Noor is a young Muslim girl and she longs to know what a hijab is and why all the women in her family wear one. She has A LOT of questions and asks all the hijabis she knows. Her sister, her grandma, her aunty. They are all too busy to answer Noor’s question. As we meet Noor’s family we see the wonderful women she loves and admires. Kind and wise Dadu, curious and secretive Nanu, tough and fierce Aunty and cool Affa. Finally Noor falls into the arms of the cleverest most beautiful hijabi she knows, her Ammu. Noor’s ammu knows exactly what to say and do to answer Noor’s question. She tells Noor all about the hijab, why it is important, why she chooses to wear one and why one day Noor might choose to too. I love the tender way ammu talks to Noor. A beautiful illustration of the love between mother and daughter. This is such a wonderful book to share with young readers. A tender, funny celebration of Muslim women, curious children and family love.
Three brilliant and beautiful books
To share with children of all ages
Stories of Hijab, Family and Friendship
“Asiya’s hijab isn’t a whisper.
Asiya’s hijab is like the sky
On a sunny day.
The sky isn’t a whisper.
It’s always there,
Special and normal.”
“The first day of
Wearing Hijab
Is important
Mama had said.
It means
Being strong.”
The Proudest Blue