Moonrise by Aya Wattar

📚 Moonrise 📚

Author: Aya Wattar

Illustrator: Doha Koma

Publisher: Self-Published

Age: 4-8

Islamic Content: Hijri calendar, the Hijra

Concerns: no sources cited, some illustrations have shadow depictions

Summary:

Adam learns about the hijri calendar when he and his family is visiting his grandparent's house. He is so intrigued with the hijrah, so when he goes home he asks him Mama to read him the story of the hijrah.

Review:

This bilingual book is formatted slightly different than your average picture book. It is two separate stories or chapters yet interlinked. I like that the book offers a unique topic in a children's book. We often mention the hijrah around our kids, so I love the idea of this book. The illustrations are so adorable throughout. My favourite thing about the book is the tone! The tender love and connection of the child with the adults around him. The first chapter of the story, is a fictional setting where Adam and his family discuss the hijri months, when we fast, when hajj occurs and more. I find this to be so informative, but at times the vocabulary a little advanced. The second chapter is the story of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and Abu Bakr (r.a.) escaping from Mekka to Yathrib (Medina). I really wish that authentic sources were listed, especially because the second part of the story is Islamic history/non-fiction. It needs to be understood as standard expectation that any non-fiction children's books need to have sources listed. This is especially important for Islamic content. Moreover, It would be comforting to know if the content of this book was double checked by someone of knowledge to confirm the accuracy of the story.

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