Asophisticated color-concept book featuring a contemporary family introduces Islam to young Muslims and children who don’t practice this faith.

Here the basic colors, plus gold and silver, are used to explain aspects of Islamic life. A young girl with very large eyes narrates, using short, childlike and occasionally forced verses to match colors and objects: “Gold is the dome of the mosque, / big and grand. / Beside it two towering / minarets stand.” She describes a red prayer rug, her mom’s blue hijab (headscarf), white kufis (traditional men’s woven hats), black ink for a calligraphic design, brown dates for Ramadan, orange henna designs, an Eid gift of a doll with a purple dress, a yellow zakat (charity) box, a green Quran (green has special significance in Islam, not explained here), and a silver fanoos, “a shiny lantern.” The glossary is excellent, explaining unfamiliar terms succinctly. The stylized illustrations, richly detailed, often play with the sizes of the objects in a surrealistic way. It is difficult to tell whether the family lives in the Middle East, Britain (home of the artist) or North America. The secular architecture looks Western, but the mosque looks very grand and Middle Eastern. The clothing styles are difficult to associate with a particular country. This both maximizes accessibility and deprives the tale of specificity—clearly a conscious trade-off.

A vibrant exploratory presentation that should be supplemented with other books. (Picture book. 4-7)

-Kirkus Review

Glossary with pronunciations at the end of the book.

This heirloom picture book celebrates Muslim religion and culture through sumptuous jewel—toned illustrations that complement a gentle narrative intended to teach Islamic vocabulary by associating key terms with specific colors. Glossary.

I really enjoyed this book for 2 main reasons. The first reason was the illustrations. Since this is a book about colors, the illustrations and the colors used in this book are expected to live up to its category. In particular, I liked the colors. I really enjoyed how the background would typically be a dull grayish shade on each page so that the specific chosen color would pop and be extra vibrant when present. For example, the page leading up to the page about red is relatively dull however the page about red is covered with a rich red color as it fills every inch of the page. The next reason I enjoyed this book was that it pushed the readers to broaden their perspectives. Through reading this book, the readers were able to learn a lot about the Muslim culture as it consisted of references about Eid, clothing, religion, and even food! For example, the page about blue says, “Blue is the hijab mom likes to wear. It’s a scarf she uses to cover her hair”. Although some readers might have seen a hijab in person, they may be unknowledgeable about the term hijab or what the purpose is for. The book allows the reader to learn bits and pieces of the Muslim culture that they may have not already known. The message of the book is also quite beautiful. I believe the message is just to spread awareness and understanding of the Muslim culture. The last page wrapped up the story and awareness best as it said, “All of the colorful things we’ve seen make up the world of my faith, my deen”. ( )

Top 100 pick because:

Wonderful collection of basic concepts, introduction to different cultures/religions/words (or finally a book that reflects your culture/religion). Bright colors used to portray each color described, cleverly blends the color with the cultural reference/word while always in rhyme. I remember seeing the cover at other libraries before, but I never read it. I'm quite pleased with myself now for having done so. I would like this to be one of my upcoming story time books when I focus on colors again. ( )