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Re Muslims and Muslim Culture in Books for Children and Young Adults
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From: Uma <uma_at_gobrainstorm.net>
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:20:50 -0700
Thank you, Elsa Marston for your opening post. Your work exemplifies the need for many perspectives on the inclusion of Muslim cultures and peoples in the conversation of children’s and YA books.
Karen Leggett Abouraya has modestly not said much about her own two books—neither touches directly on Islam but both are set in different parts of the Muslim world. Hands Around the Library against the backdrop of the Arab Spring and Malala Yousafzai: Warrior With Words, a nonfiction portrayal of a brave young woman who continues to build history in her own time and against significant odds.
And I’m so very pleased to see that we’ll be discussing Rukhsana Khan’s lovely picture book, King for a Day. The rooftop setting is enchanting from any perspective. You can practically feel the breezes whirl over the city, tugging the kites up into the sky. The child character with a physical disability is powerfully pitted against the social realities that normally keep him tethered to the ground. And I particularly love the context of the ancient, originally Hindu festival of Basant that has morphed and become part of the culture, its devotional elements subsumed into a larger (not specifically religious) celebration of spring. It’s a wonderful, subtle element of cultural fusion that’s rarely seen in books about Pakistan. I loved this book in its earlier Canadian version, and am thrilled to see it finding recognition once more in this new edition from Lee & Low.
Looking forward to hearing what others have to say, and to Rukhsana’s weighing in later. I’m sorry if I’m jumping in too early with this post but I have deadlines looming and wanted to be sure I sent this before I have to get off email again!
Best,
Uma
Uma Krishnaswami Writer, Author of Children's Books http://www.umakrishnaswami.com Faculty Chair, MFA-Writing for Children & Young Adults, Vermont College of Fine Arts http://www.vcfa.edu/low-residency-mfa/writing-children-young-adults
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Received on Mon 11 Aug 2014 05:21:17 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:20:50 -0700
Thank you, Elsa Marston for your opening post. Your work exemplifies the need for many perspectives on the inclusion of Muslim cultures and peoples in the conversation of children’s and YA books.
Karen Leggett Abouraya has modestly not said much about her own two books—neither touches directly on Islam but both are set in different parts of the Muslim world. Hands Around the Library against the backdrop of the Arab Spring and Malala Yousafzai: Warrior With Words, a nonfiction portrayal of a brave young woman who continues to build history in her own time and against significant odds.
And I’m so very pleased to see that we’ll be discussing Rukhsana Khan’s lovely picture book, King for a Day. The rooftop setting is enchanting from any perspective. You can practically feel the breezes whirl over the city, tugging the kites up into the sky. The child character with a physical disability is powerfully pitted against the social realities that normally keep him tethered to the ground. And I particularly love the context of the ancient, originally Hindu festival of Basant that has morphed and become part of the culture, its devotional elements subsumed into a larger (not specifically religious) celebration of spring. It’s a wonderful, subtle element of cultural fusion that’s rarely seen in books about Pakistan. I loved this book in its earlier Canadian version, and am thrilled to see it finding recognition once more in this new edition from Lee & Low.
Looking forward to hearing what others have to say, and to Rukhsana’s weighing in later. I’m sorry if I’m jumping in too early with this post but I have deadlines looming and wanted to be sure I sent this before I have to get off email again!
Best,
Uma
Uma Krishnaswami Writer, Author of Children's Books http://www.umakrishnaswami.com Faculty Chair, MFA-Writing for Children & Young Adults, Vermont College of Fine Arts http://www.vcfa.edu/low-residency-mfa/writing-children-young-adults
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Received on Mon 11 Aug 2014 05:21:17 PM CDT
