The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family

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Connect:If you have ever seen a sibling or friend teased, you may have an idea of how Faizah feels. What are some things you can say to support a friend who is teased? During Reading Faizah's actions show that she is unnerved by the hurtful questions and reactions of other children at school. She finds herself whispering without realizing why. She needs to find her sister for another hug and a smile. She runs from the boy who yells that he will 'pull that tablecloth off your head'. But the situation is redeemed by Asiya's serene confidence (at least, that's all we see). She acts as a strong role model for her younger sister and for other Muslim girls wearing hijab in unsympathetic circumstances. Rosanne (Grandma): 4.5. 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. One thing I like is that the antagonistic boys are depicted non-racially, just plain brown, so that makes it see less judgmental about a particular race. This book is a great story for girls who will wear hijab one day, full of faith and pride and strength. But it's also a great story for kids who are not Muslim, because it shows how wearing hijab isn't about anyone except the person wearing it, and it also gives some insight into how nervous that girl might be, not knowing how her choice is going to be viewed or treated.

Created in collaboration with Lit in Colour, these resources are ideal to support children with reading this lovely picture book. With a huge range to choose from, we have everything you might need to create an engaging reading lesson or sequence of lessons. Why not get started with our The Proudest Blue Reading Comprehension Mat ? It includes four thought-provoking questions about a short extract from the story, assessing children’s understanding and comprehension skills. You can also encourage children to practise their independent writing skills with our The Proudest Blue Writing Frames . Learners could rewrite parts of the story in their own words, or describe how they might be feeling if they were in Asiya or Faizah’s shoes. The learning opportunities are endless! What is The Proudest Blue about? My family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books every year. This is book #18 (of 20) of 2019, and we liked it. It was written By Olympic medalist, social activist (and hijab-wearing!) athlete Ibtihaj Muhammed with the help of (writer) She. K. Ali, illustrated by Hetem Aly. Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad. Author Ibtihaj Muhammad, a proud hijabi herself, is the first Muslim-American woman in hijab both to compete and to medal for the USA at the Olympic Games, in the sabre team event (fencing). She and her co-author, S.K. Ali both reflect on their personal experience of their choice to wear the hijab in their Author's Notes. Both refer to having experienced misunderstanding and hurtful behaviour from others and they convey their shared recognition of the importance of sharing positive stories and role models with other young people, encouraging pride in those who wear the hijab and greater understanding in those who don't.And that just about sums up the book and the experience of every Muslim woman who decides to wear hijab and continue wearing it and not let any other factor get in the way of her choice. Stark, spiky silhouettes suggest the impact of casual unkindness, while strong, simple poetic language evokes Asiya's calm determination to ignore intolerance' GUARDIAN

Watch the following TED Talk by the author. Can you think of questions you would like to ask her about her experiences? The vision of Sound Vision is to establish peace, justice, fairness, and equity in the world. Follow us on social mediaAnother great children's book with a most important message. Faizah admires her older sister Asiya and she just loves her bright blue hijab. To her, it represents beauty and tradition. To the kids at school, its strange and thus they make mean comments about it. Faizah, however, is not swayed by them. In fact, with every negative comment, she finds something else that is remarkable of her sister's blue hijab. These are absolutely gorgeous illustrations that go along perfectly with a strong narrative. It is a message thats needs to be heard by children and adults alike. In a world that can be so divisive, books like this one are necessary. A wonderful work all around. I called it Happy Blue once before because it’s not too strong and harsh nor too gentle and dreamy. It’s more of a present, refreshing, and confident blue. I wanted it to be empowering as a central color. I experimented with different shades at first and decided to go with the current one since it felt fitting. Plan a timetable of activities for World Hijab Day. What could you do to learn more about the hijab and the women who choose to wear one?

This was a beautifully illustrated picture book about sisterhood and a girl's first day of wearing her hijab. I especially liked how the kids who made fun of Asiya were not drawn with faces, but are instead unimportant, insubstantial shadows.MuslimFest is an award winning one to three-day arts festival which has been taking place for the last 17 years in seven cities across North America attracting 500 to 60,000 people. Inspiring…The lovely, playful illustrations by Aly capture the spirit of imagination and sisterly solidarity in the face of bullying.” — New York Times Book Review We typically choose stories with obvious problems and solutions when we teach conflict and resolution. But it’s also important for students to practice this skill with stories where it’s not as evident. For some students, the conflict and resolution in The Proudest Blue will be harder to identify. Asiya's hijab is like the ocean and the sky, no line between them, saying hello with a loud wave. It's Faizah's first day of school, and her older sister Asiya's first day of hijab - made of a beautiful blue fabric. But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful. In the face of hurtful, confusing words, will Faizah find new ways to be strong? This is an uplifting, universal story of new experiences, the unbreakable bond shared by siblings and of being proud of who you are, from Olympic medallist Ibtihaj Muhammad. About This Edition ISBN:

From picture books to chapter books, you’ve been quite busy since joining the agency in 2016! Can you tell us about what exciting projects lie ahead?Home Learning Reader in Residence Reader in Residence Digital Years 1 & 2 The Proudest Blue The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, S.K. Ali and Hatem Aly Published by Anderson Press It could be a day long ago, like your first day at school. Or a day in the distant future, like the day you turn 100 years old. Look at the author’s notes. What do you think of Ibtihaj Muhammad’s reasons for writing The Proudest Blue? I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book for those who want to learn more about hijabs and Muslim culture - I think would be a good and empowering book for young Muslim girls instead.