This is an excellent book about identity and self-confidence for young readers who can see themselves in Asiya or know someone like her and essential for Empathy collections. Faizah sees her sister as a princess wearing her beautiful blue hijab, but not everyone at school sees it this way.

Paired with Hatem Aly's beautiful, whimsical art, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and Morris Award finalist S. There might not be a story at all, were it not for the ugly truth of Islamophobic bullying that wearing hijab can unleash. Faizah’s imagination is vividly captured with Asiya’s scarf filling a full two pages of brilliant ocean waves as the little sister lovingly and proudly looks, teetering in her paper boat.

The Proudest Blue received starred reviews from Kirkus, [3] Publishers Weekly, [4] School Library Journal, [5] and Booklist, [6] as well as a positive review from The New York Times. Inspiring…The lovely, playful illustrations by Aly capture the spirit of imagination and sisterly solidarity in the face of bullying. While the scarf has symbolism, it’s simultaneously a piece of clothing and there’s still that person with all the things that humans have underneath. Inspired by the experiences of Olympic medallist Ibtihaj Muhammad, this is a beautiful and powerful story about the bond shared between siblings and being proud of yourself and your beliefs. The book tells the tale of Faizah, who is embarking on her first day at school, and her older sister Asiya, who is wearing hijab for the first time.

I grabbed up this book from the library the day it was available, because I have always wondered about hijab and what it means. I thought about how it would create a different experience for readers listening to the book and reading the text and how it’s another point of identity that would make the experience of the story richer in this case. The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family is a children's picture book written by Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. I loved the supportive and loving relationship of the sisters and the encouraging words from their strong mother.

Ariana: I like differentiation in the scarf style preference between Asiya and her mother, her mother in an abaya and a long khimar, a hint of how they might differ in hijab style. This image is important because it normalizes the idea that the person wearing the scarf and not wearing the scarf are the same person. As for books coming out in 2020 there will be The UK edition of The Proudest Blue with Andersen Press, another set of Yasmin books, Raj’s Rule by Lana Button with Owl Kids, and the fifth book of the Unicorn Rescue Society series! This instructive board book opens with the simple statement that many religious people wear head coverings to show their love of God. To go beyond just stating the problem and solution in the book, I make sure to pose questions that will get students thinking about their effects.

If I go by how it was for me as a reader, and my interests, I would say 4 stars, I liked it, but if I can imagine an audience of hijab-wearing girls, I would say definitely 5 stars. Faizah is excited for her first day of school, with her light up shoes and new backpack, but even more excited for her older sister, Asiya with her brand-new blue hijab. S. Olympic fencer, Muhammad reports that “it took me a long time to come to the place where I could brush off the looks and ignore the haters. The network emerged from the daily show Radio Islam, which aired on WCEV 1450 AM in Chicago for 20 years. I'd recommend it to both Muslim and non-Muslim young readers, whether embarking on their own hijab journey, or to foster greater understanding of other cultures.Paired with Hatem Aly’s beautiful, whimsical art, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and Morris Award finalist S. This collaboration, between the first American Olympic medallist to compete wearing a hijab and an award-winning Muslim YA author, is a beautiful story of sisterly love as well as a thoughtful depiction of the significance of wearing the hijab. The winners of The Farshore Reading for Pleasure Teacher Awards 2023, highlighting the work schools are doing to encourage a love of reading, have.

Read aloud sessions are a wonderful way for children to understand the connection between written text and spoken language. They said that in Arabic there are such resources for children, but this is the first such book they have seen in English, so they loved it. After all, the conflict is at the heart of the plot, and the character’s actions, feelings, and behaviors are often tied to it. I remember reading the manuscript for the first time and going silent in awe; I was taken by the beautiful writing. Seen through the eyes of Faizah we see the challenges Asiya has to face and how she is able to stand up for who she is.Diverse characters are portrayed in various hues, ethnic backgrounds, and sizes and with incredibly expressive emotion. We were thrilled to chat with Hatem about his creative process behind his latest picture book, The Proudest Blue, which published with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in September 2019. The Proudest Blue is an uplifting picture book written by Olympic medalist, Ibtihaj Muhammad, and S.