| 9781534400597 |
| 1534400591 |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... East Library | Children's Book | THOM | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... High Prairie Library | Children's Book | THOM | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Library 21c | Children's Book | THOM | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Rockrimmon Library | Children's Book | THOM | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
Selected as a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, Kirkus Reviews , School Library Journal , and Shelf Awareness !
A young Muslim girl spends a busy day wrapped up in her mother's colorful headscarf in this sweet and fanciful picture book from debut author and illustrator Jamilah Tompkins-Bigelow and Ebony Glenn.
A khimar is a flowing scarf that my mommy wears.
Before she walks out the door each day, she wraps one around her head.
A young girl plays dress up with her mother's headscarves, feeling her mother's love with every one she tries on. Charming and vibrant illustrations showcase the beauty of the diverse and welcoming community in this portrait of a young Muslim American girl's life.
Author Notes
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a Philadelphia-based educator and children's book author. Her works, which center young Black Muslim protagonists, have been recognized and critically praised by many trusted voices in literature, including American Library Association, School Library Journal , and NPR. Her books include Mommy's Khimar and Your Name is a Song , and she is a contributor to the Once Upon an Eid anthology.
Ebony Glenn is a children's book illustrator whose whimsical and expressive imagery can be found in Mommy's Khimar and Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins , among others. Passionate for the arts and great storytelling, she lives in the outskirts of Atlanta with her family.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-A young child is enchanted by her mother's many colorful khimars. She uses them to play dress-up, imagining herself as a queen, a mama bird covering her baby brother in his nest, or a superhero in a cape. The girl can inhale her mother's scent and comfort herself even if her mother is not near. She is even allowed to wear one of the khimars to the mosque where she is lovingly admired by a crowd of older women ("'Assalamu alaikum, Little Sis!'"). Her non-Muslim grandmother also makes an appearance and readers are told, "She doesn't go to the mosque like Mommy and Daddy do. We are a family and we love each other just the same." The child-narrator speaks in simple, clear sentences describing a supportive and loving family and community. However, Glenn's soft-colored, flat illustrations miss an opportunity to add visual depth and texture to the book. They serve their purpose, but don't enrich it. VERDICT A sweet addition to picture book collections.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Mommy, an African-American Muslim woman, has a closet full of the beautiful flowing headscarves called khimars (another character refers to them as hijabs later in the story). Her imaginative daughter's favorite khimar is bright yellow, and readers follow along as the young narrator wears it in daylong dress-up play. Enveloped in the scents of coconut oil, cocoa butter, and cinnamon that linger in the khimar, the girl feels protected, loved, and bigger than life. At her mosque, she is welcomed into the world of pious women, as her mother's friends greet her with, "Assalamu alaikum, Little Sis!" The yellow khimar is also emblematic of the unconditional love within the girl's extended family: when her grandmother stops by after church ("She doesn't go to the mosque like Mommy and Daddy do"), she greets the girl with a bright smile and open arms, calling her "Sunshine." Debut author Thompkins-Bigelow's lyrical text and Glenn's lighthearted Disney-style pictures are similarly sunny. Rather than offer an exegesis of the khimar or a plea for acceptance and understanding, they allow their heroine's carefree confidence to speak for itself. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agency: Bright Group. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
In this ebullient picture book, readers come to share in the delight a little girl takes in wearing her mother's khimar another term for hijab. For the girl, her mother's rainbow collection of beautiful khimars is a source of wonder, power, and intimacy, much like any mother's closet of pretty things might be for a young child. Her favorite one is yellow, and she wears it like a superhero wears her cape, imagining herself shining like the sun and shooting through the sky like a star. She recognizes her mother's fragrances coconut oil and cocoa butter which ensure the security of her mother's presence even in her absence. This affirming book will be a welcome mirror for Muslim and interfaith families, and a necessary counter to Islamophobic discourse. The illustrations are as lively and brightly colored as the khimars themselves, and smiling faces of friends and family members echo the warm message of the text.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2018 Booklist
