Disclaimer: Parents must use their own discretion, standards, and common sense when choosing books. These books are useful, but not perfect. However, imperfections can be used to initiate discussions and critical thinking about the real-life application of Islam. This section will be updated, so check back for new recommendations.
Nana Asma'u is the story of Uthman Dan Fodio's daughter, a scholar in her own right. She advocated for the educational rights of women. This is a good book for teaching the history and culture of the Sokoto Caliphate in Nigeria, the importance of Islamic knowledge, women's rights in Islam, and overcoming obstacles.
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Uthman Dan Fodio: Defender of Justice and Truth is the story of a reformer. Against all odds, Uthman stood against oppression in the Hausa states. This book can be used to teach about Nigerian/Hausa-Fulani history, Islamic beliefs about oppression, education, and women's rights, and standing up for what one believes in.
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Queen Amina: Brave Heart is the story of the warrior and queen, Amina of Zaria. It can be used to teach Nigerian/Hausa history, the varying role of women, mental strength, self defense, and planning military strategy.
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Emmanuel's Dream is a story from Ghana about a boy overcoming a disability. It is useful in lessons on overcoming obstacles, the treatment of people with disabilities, charity, gratitude, and doing for self.
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June Peters, You Will Change the World One Day is a story about a girl's desire to help her community. It can be used in lessons on charity, character development, and safety protocols.
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Kefentse's Private Parts helps children understand what parts of their bodies are private areas. It describes what to do if anyone invades this personal space. It can be used to discuss modesty standards in Christian and Muslim societies, appropriate social interactions, homosexuality, pedophilia, good touch/bad touch, secrets, honor, and the duty of men.
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The Proudest Blue is the story of hijab and the first day of school. It can be used to teach modesty, dignity, confidence, and vocabulary. I would suggest a discussion of the word pride, how pride is viewed in Islam, and better words that should be substituted.
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Deep in the Sahara is a cute story from Mauritania about a girl who wants to wear a malafa like the women in her family. By the end of the story, she learns the true reason for hijab. This book can open dialogue for the reasons we cover and how hijab is practiced in different cultures.
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The Grand Mosque of Paris is an interesting, rarely told piece of Islamic history. It displays the generosity and braveness of Muslims. This book can be used in lessons on World War II, the Jewish "holocaust", and war. It can also be used in the context of current events to show that good deeds are not always reciprocated.
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Mami Miti: Wangari's Maathai and the Trees of Kenya is a true story about a wise woman who inspired people of her country to plant trees as a way to solve their problems. This story is useful for lessons on nature, the environment, sustainability, education, the power of the feminine role, and doing for self.
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The Bee Tree is a Malaysian coming of age tale about a young boy learning to harvest honey. It can be used when teaching about bees, the environment, respect for nature, manhood, and Malaysia. It may lead to discussions about how local customs and folklore influence the practice of Islam in different places.
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The Little Gentleman is a story describing the influence of a father on his son's character. This book teaches the importance of fathers, etiquette, and proper behavior. Conversation surrounding this book can be expanded to include specific Islamic etiquette for boys and girls.
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Cheyenne Again tells the story of how Native American children were forced into boarding schools and robbed of their culture. It tells the struggle of a child to keep his heritage in tact. This is useful in lessons on the Native American holocaust, the nature of the devil, and the role of education in elevating and oppressing people. It can be paired with the movie "Rabbit Proof Fence" to examine the devil's misbehavior worldwide.
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A Different Pond is a quiet story of an early morning fishing trip. During the trip, the boy learns a bit about his father and his homeland. This can be used to teach about the challenges of moving abroad, sacrifice, culture, frugality, "race" relations, and the impact of U.S. foreign policy.
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The Maker of Oils is the story of a "poor" family who discover that sometimes the best things in life are free. No one believes the family has anything worth giving, but in the end, they have exactly what is desired. This book can be useful when discussing prayer, intentions, generosity, dignity, contentment, pride, supplying our own needs such as personal care products, business, and the power of word-of-mouth.
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Jupiter Strong and the Gargantuan Garden is the story of a family's attempt at winning a tomato contest. This story can be used for lessons on gardening, setting goals, doing for self, winning with honor, and family. Proper courtship procedures may be discussed.
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Jupiter Strong and The Money Muncher is the story of children who were challenged to make money for an upcoming trip. It is useful for teaching lessons about doing for self, business, cooperative economics, and entrepreneurship. Islamic finance options should be discussed.
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Malik and the Magic Bowtie is a story about a boy's effort to write a speech for his class president campaign. This book teaches lessons about confidence, leadership, responsibility, the role of fathers, and the power of bow ties (smile). The importance of the Universities of Islam should be included in discussion.
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Olive Harvest in Palestine is a story of how olive oil is made from picking the olives to processing it into oil. It can be used in lessons on middle eastern culture, food, cooking, farming, food processing, business, and brotherhood.
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Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad celebrates the beauty of Arabic calligraphy. It is a great tool for inspiring children to strive for good penmanship and encouraging an interest in learning to read and write in the Arabic language. It can also be used in lessons about war and U.S. foreign policy. Arabic was taught in the University of Islam.
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The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq is about a librarian's brave mission to save books from being destroyed by war. This book can lead to discussions about the importance of books, literacy, preserving knowledge, civilization, war, and U.S. foreign policy.
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Over and Under the Pond focuses on observing nature during a mother and son's boat ride. This book is good for supplementing lessons on zoology, marine biology, and the environment. There may be wording and animal species that are unfamiliar to the child, so there is opportunity for research and expanding vocabulary.
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Save the land is the story of the Great Green Wall project in Africa. This can be used to teach about nature, conservation, African geography, desertification, doing for self, agriculture, how to properly kneel in public, why the devil likes to show the Black woman's form, and what animals actually live in the Sahel region of Africa. This works well with the "Mali - Nation Time" lesson.
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The Thing About Bees explains the importance of bees in a way children can easily understand. It can be used to teach about nature, the environment, agriculture, and our responsibility of caring for our planet. It can also be used to discuss how even when we dislike a thing, there is often good in it.
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Max and the Tag-Along Moon is about a grandfather's promise that the moon would always shine for his grandson. When the moon seemed to disappear, Max has doubts, but surely the moon still shined. This book can be used to discuss family bonds, promises, and our teachings about the moon.
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Gary & the Great Inventors is about a child who learns about the first Black man in America to receive a patent for his invention. This book helps teach about American history and how the devil has stolen credit for many Black inventions. It can be used to inspire an interest in science and innovation. The popularity of the N.O.I.'s many dry cleaning businesses prior to 1975 and the need for simple, practical businesses are relevant conversations.
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Road Builders discusses how roads are made. This book can be used to inspire an interest in construction and infrastructure as future career options. It may inspire conversation concerning doing for self, what a nation needs to function, what fields of education are most needed for our nation, the need for black business, and separation.
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Salma the Syrian Chef is about a girl's attempt to make her mother smile. It facilitates discussions about good deeds, Syrian culture, food, doing for self to ensure the availability of essential products, refugees, homesickness, Muslim unity, war, the false friendship of the devil, and U.S. foreign policy.
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The Gift of Ramadan is a book about the Orthodox practice of Ramadan. It can be used to discuss fasting, good deeds, intention, the Messenger's teachings on Ramadan, the similarity in N.O.I. and Orthodox principles and the reasons for the difference between N.O.I. and Orthodox practices, and the ways in which Islam makes a Muslim "sparkle" shine, and glow.
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Eyes that Kiss in the Corners is a book about appreciating the traits we inherit from our ancestors. It can be used to discuss lineage and legacy, the Messenger's teachings on the superiority of brown eyes, The grafting process, Chinese culture, our teachings on Buddhism, and false western beauty standards.
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Fly Eagle, Fly! is the story of an eagle that was raised among chickens. In the light of the Sun, the eagle discovers his true self. This story parallels the Black man and woman in America in many ways. This story can be used to discuss our condition and the solution to our problem, our Messenger, our God, and our destiny.
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Unspeakable tells the story of the Tulsa Massacre, told from a Black perspective. It can be used to supplement lessons on American history, the nature of the devil, the need for separation in a separate state, the Muslim Program, and the Divine solution to our problems. The tendency of Black people to forgive those who oppress them should be discussed in depth.
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Buzzing with Questions is about Charles Henry Turner, an accomplished Black scientist. This books can be used to encourage curiosity and experimentation in children. It may lead to discussions on overcoming obstacles, the need for our own universities, dignity, racism, and zoology. Prioritizing the use of knowledge to benefit self and kind should be thoroughly discussed.
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The Carrot Seed is a short, simple story about working and having faith when others discourage you. This book is quick, easy read which works well for young children. It may inspire conversations about having belief, doing for self, positive thinking, perseverance, and gardening.
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The Water Princess is the story of an African girl who must walk long distances to fetch water every morning. This book can be used to teach about climate change, the essential roles of women, gratitude, the importance of water, why the devil works to keep Africa underdeveloped, and how mastery of science, technology, and construction can improve standards of living.
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The word collector is about a little boys love for words. It encourages children to increase their vocabulary and understand the importance of being able to express oneself effectively. The extent of a child's vocabulary is an indicator of how well they will do throughout their schooling. Conversation around this book should lead to a reminder about social separation.
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Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea is about a Muslim boy's practical idea for a science fair experiment. This story can be used for lessons on sustainability, solar energy, health, weather and seasons, gender roles, Bangladesh, and the importance of STEM in solving the problems of a Nation.
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A Drop Around the World follows a drop of water on its journey around the world. It can be used to teach about water, climate, weather, and geography. It may lead to a discussion about how climate affects culture.
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How a Seed Grows is a story on how plants develop. It gives simple instructions on how to grow a bean plant, which is a great experiment for a Muslim child. It can be used for lessons on nature, agriculture, biology, How to Eat to Live, and doing for self. A discussion will be needed about appropriate playmates for Muslim children and the evils of integration.
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Yasmin's Hammer is the story of a girl's desire for education. This book helps children appreciate their standard of living and easy access to education. It can be used to teach gratitude, hard work, the evils of poverty, the importance of education, and the country Bangladesh.
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Sleep Well Siba and Saba is the story of two sisters who seem to lose things frequently, but they always find those items in their dreams. In the end, the theme of the book makes a pleasant shift towards reality and planning for the future. It can be used to address the importance of focus, positive thinking, and not dwelling on loss (Allah is sufficient). A discussion on responsibility and care of possessions would balance the book nicely.
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Twenty-two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank is about a man's simple idea to help the poor help themselves. It can be used to teach about cooperative economics, micro-lending, usury, the evils of poverty, the power of education (good and bad), doing for self, the effects of colonization, the partition of India, and the culture of Bangladesh.
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Your Name is a Song tells of the importance of respecting names. This book introduces many types of names to the reader. It should inspire conversations about integration, the need for Black schools and teachers, and different ways that Muslim children can command respect.
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Harlem Grown is the story of a school which helped clean up their neighborhood by creating an urban garden. This simple book is a good choice to introduce urban gardening to children. It may inspire conversations about agriculture, gardening, trial and error, taking charge of one's post, and a civilized person's responsibility to their neighborhood.
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