“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” — Emilie Buchwald

Reading is important but so is picking up the right book to read. And when it comes to young minds, ready to imbibe anything they read for a lifetime, it becomes even more imperative as parents to expose the children to good, selected books.

We are living in a time when there is no dearth of children and young-adult literature, the likes of which have produced characters and concepts that have become a center point of pop-culture discourse. However, little do we realize that we are letting our kids fill their heads with propaganda, fake standards of beauty, disturbing notions of morality, and other such dangerous ideas spread by most Western fiction stories.

Islamic children’s books have come a long way in recent years, with more variety in authors and a wider reach among young readers.

Arab News asked several publishing houses and parents to recommend Islamic themed titles for children and young adults.

Author and blogger Sadaf Farooqui, says she uses a variety of books for her children.

“We always go to a local bookstore and buy whatever comes across as suitable for them at that particular time. Since my children are unschooled, I do not adhere to any particular curriculum for them. That being said, Goodword Books is one of the publishers whose books have always been very popular in our family. That, and the Pakistani Islamic magazine, HibaKidz,” she said.

Publishing house Dar Abul Qasim’s owner Amatullah Bantley said: “We have a 2-part series called ‘I Am a Muslim’ (ages 6 and above), which was written by a convert who was teaching Islam to kids in an orphanage. Through trial and error, he compiled lessons along with Q&A pages to kids off to a good start with their basic Islamic duties. A storybook called ‘Captain Arabia and the Baby Camel’ (ages 4-8) was written as a senior high-school project by a local Saudi girl. It was so adorable we published it on her behalf.”

Although they specialize in adult education, Dar Abul-Qasim has produced a few kid’s titles, which include (based on Bantley’s recommendations): The Dua of Faizah, Hudhayfah Learns About Allah, My Tawheed Book, The Football Feud, A Teeny Weeny Lie, Let’s Help the Poor, The Search for Twee Twee, Muhammad in Makkah and Muhammad in Madinah.

However, the bookstore’s most popular kids books are ‘The Young Muslim books’ 1 and 2 for ages pre-school to 9.

“For older girls, say 13-18, we publish ‘A Friendship Promise’, a novel by Ruby Moore touching on teenage problems faced by adolescent Muslim girls,” Bantley said.

Dar Abul-Qasim is located next to Darussalam in Hiya Jameah District, Amir Mutib Souk.

Popular Riyadh-based publishing house Darussalam also carries a wide array of storybook topics for kids. Over 100 educative titles in attractive formats give out knowledge about the basics of Islam. Some of these include: A day in a life of Muslim Child, The story of Muhammad P.B.U.H, My prayer Book, My Wudu Book, My dua Book, My Tawheed Book, My Arabic Number book and My Arabic Alphabet book, A concize Children’s encyclopedia of Islam, Prophet series (Prophet sent by Allah), Khulafe-Rasheedn series by Maulvi Abdul Aziz, 20 Hadith for kids and Golden supplications for kids.

International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH) also publishes Islamic books for children aiming to instill in them a love of Islam as well as a strong moral foundation. These include:

Aleena Celebrates Eid (Ages 3-7): An interactive and engaging story which teaches your child about the glorious day of Eid Al-Fitr. It is written in a lively, rhythmic tone through the eyes of little Aleena, who observes all the practices that make Eid a truly special day!

Zainab’s Ramadan Basket (Ages 4-8): Written by Shabnam Saleem, it is about a young Muslim girl called Zainab, who spends Ramadan with her family in traditional ways. With its message of sharing and of strengthening communities, this story captures the essence and spirit of Ramadan and Islam.

I Wonder Who (Ages 3-8): A simple yet insightful story, written by Furzana Bayri. A bedouin boy sees the natural phenomena in his environment and comes to realize that he does not have to literally see the Creator to know that He exists.

Birds and Other Animals in the Qur’an (7-12): A beautifully-told illustrated collection of true stories from the Qur’an about some of the most common animals, with which children and adults will be able to readily relate.

The Lost Kingdom (7-12): The story of wild lions who long ago adopted a very different way of life – that of domestic cats. Many of them forgot their history and their great past, until one day they meet Layth, an intelligent and courageous cub seeking truth and adventure.

The Night the Moon Split by Ivanka Dimitrova (7-12): The book takes young readers on a journey through time, back to the days of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). It describes one of his greatest miracles: the splitting of the moon.

Imam Bukhari by Luqman Nagy: This book introduces the reader to the life and times of Muhammad ibn Isma‘eel, the greatest of all Hadith scholars. In later life, he became known as Imam Bukhari.

’Umar ibn ‘Abdul-’Azeez — The Just Caliph by Luqman Nagy: This book highlights the life and times of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-‘Azeez, a truly exceptional Muslim ruler who, during his twenty-nine months in office, governed the Ummah totally in accordance with the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Some of these books may be best enjoyed when read aloud to children. Reading aloud has multiple benefits. It has been proven to boost children’s esteem thus making them easier to prepare for schooling. It also helps in the better development of their language and communication skills.

A University of Melbourne study on 4,000 children beginning age 4 revealed that children whose parents read to them three times a week have better mathematical abilities and become better readers than those who did not.

Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a good vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.

Books read in their childhood are sure to become a treasured part of the libraries of our young ones for generations to come.

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