My Name is Bana by Bana Alabed
📚 My Name is Bana 📚
Author: Bana Alabed
Illustrator: Naz Riaz
Publisher: Salaam Reads @salaamreads @simonkids
Age: 4-8
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Islamic Content: Muslim Characters
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Concerns: None
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Summary:
Bana is a little Syrian girl who has escaped war with her family. Bana asks her mother why she chose her name. And with through it Bana discovers so much more about strength, courage and hope.
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Review:
This powerful book beautifully encompasses the the tone, the voice and the innocence of a little girl and her first hand experience as a child of war and a refugee. First of all, the bond she has with her mother is just stunningly displayed throughout the book. Secondly, I am so thankful that this book shows this brave child and her resilience in a truthful way rather than the narrative that we consistently see in refugee stories, (the lack of access to education for little Muslim girls or that education brings 'freedom' to the oppressed). This book actually states 'It (being strong) means you study and read lots of books so your mind will be powerful.' I mean this statement coupled with the fact that Bana's mother is an educated teacher is quite telling. The tone of the book is very hopeful. Bana became known to the world in 2016 when she used twitter to speak out about the injustices Syrians were facing. It is really refreshing to see her words turn into a book rather than an adult attempting to formulate her story, the authenticity becomes unquestionable. Definitely an important book to read.
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