“It was a dark night and there was a big bad storm. The people on the ship had to throw off all their things to make the ship lighter…. they had to throw off one man too. They didn’t want it to be Yunus but his name kept coming up, like when you do eeny meeny miny mo.”
The above excerpt from Love for the Prophets tantalisingly illustrated by Tugrul Karacan is a peep into the delightful narrative style of Zanib Mian that is sure to capture the hearts of young Muslim children. This and Migo & Ali: The A-Z of Islam on display at the booth of Deen Square during the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) 2022, now running at Expo Centre Sharjah, until May 22, provide a glimpse into the treasure trove of books available for sale at the festival.
If Migo the bear and Ali the little Muslim boy introduce children under 10 to the 17 Prophets (peace be upon them) from Adam to Muhammed, there are separate books for Muslim teenage boys and girls to understand life’s big changes as well as body safety.
Most of the books are published in the UK, while there are also books from the US and Pakistan. Written primarily for children growing up in the West, it explains the language of the books – like the reference to play dough to understand God and creation in the story of Adam.
Store proprietor Arshad Sheikh from Mumbai, India, pointed out that Ramadan in Space was one of the best-sellers this season. The story of two children observing suhoor in space and returning to earth for Eid seems appropriate for the UAE which recently sent astronauts to space.
Two Pigeons on a Pilgrimage and other books explain the hajj to the young Muslim while there are books to explain the hijab, forgiveness and compassion.
And it is not all work and sombre thoughts; there is scope to play with Fun Brain Teasers for Muslim Kids. For the adventure lover, there is the series on Ali.