Monthly
Special
World Religions: Islam
Fiction | Folklore | Nonfiction
The books recommended below were published within the
last several years. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual
child is the real criterion.
Fiction
Suggested grade level listed with each entry
Ask Me No Question by Marina
Budhos (Seo/Atheneum)
This quietly powerful novel explores the post–9/11 pressures
on fourteen-year-old Nadira’s Muslim family, Bangladeshi immigrants
who have lived productively but illegally in New York for eight
years. Grade level: 7 and up. 162 pages.
Magid Fasts for Ramadan written
by Mary Matthews, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Clarion)
An eight-year-old Muslim boy secretly joins the ritual fast for
Ramadan in a skillful narrative that weaves cultural and religious
explication through a strong story. Grade level: 1–4. 48 pages.
The Shadows of Ghadames written
by Joelle Stolz, translated from the French by Catherine Temerson
(Delacorte)
In late-nineteenth-century Libya, an injured young man preaching
Muslim fundamentalism teaches eleven-year-old Malika to read, fueling
her dreams of life beyond the rooftop confines of women. Grade level:
4–6. 120 pages.
 
Folklore
Suggested grade level listed with each entry
What about Me? written
and illustrated by Ed Young (Philomel)
A young boy who desperately wants knowledge is sent on a quest for
a carpet in this cumulative teaching-tale from the Sufi tradition.
Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.
Nonfiction
Suggested grade level listed with each entry
Muhammad written
and illustrated by Demi (McElderry)
Lively but culturally respectful illustrations help tell the story
of the prophet Muhammad and explain the creation of Islam and the
Koran. Grade level: 4–6. 48 pages.
Mosque written and
illustrated by David Macaulay (Lorraine/Houghton)
Budding engineers and art historians can delight in this precisely
observed narrative of the creation of a fictional 1595 mosque and
surrounding institutions. Grade level: 4–6. 96 pages.
Saladin: Noble Prince
of Islam written and illustrated by Diane Stanley (HarperCollins)
This biography of the twelfth-century Muslim ruler documents the
governing skills, humane policies, and nobility of character that
made him “a model for any age,” including his successes
in uniting the Muslim forces against the Crusaders. Grade level:
4–6. 48 pages.
Coming to America: A
Muslim Family’s Story written and illustrated with photos
by Bernard Wolf (Lee)
Juxtaposing cultural particularities with neighborhood commonalities,
this photo-essay about an Egyptian family in Queens gives attention
to each of the three children, ages eight, twelve, and thirteen,
in the Mahmoud family. Grade level: K–3. 48 pages.
More
lists of Recommended Books
|
