This unique anthology, with its rich and thorough explanatory notes, will be invaluable to anyone wishing to understand or teach geography, world history, or world religions. It will also be treasured by Muslim families and by all parents committed to broadening the lives and values of their children and themselves.

Beautiful Signs/Ayat Jamilah: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs is a young adult/adult crossover anthology, drawing from not only the core of Islamic spirituality and ethics, the Qur'an and the traditions (hadiths), but also from the mystical verse, folk tales, and exemplary figures of the Islamic narrative. Beautiful Signs gathers traditional stories from the farthest reaches of the Muslim world, which stretches from Morocco in the west to Indonesia in the east, and from China in the north to Tanzania in the south. This anthology, with its explanatory notes, will be valuable to anyone wishing to understand, or to teach, geography, world history, or world religions. It will also be treasured by Muslim families and by all parents committed to broadening the lives and values of their children and themselves.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Identified on its cover as "A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents," this stimulating anthology responds to the dearth of Islamic literature for families. Conover (Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom and Stories for Children) and Crane, an educator and practicing Muslim, cull stories from the Qu'ran, hadiths (sayings and deeds of Muhammad), history and folklore; settings range from the Arab world to West Africa and China. The production falls a bit short-the illustrations are wanly reproduced and unusual terms are defined only occasionally-but the storytelling is first-rate. Brief entries (rarely more than a few pages) retain the flavor of their sources (e.g., many begin with the phrase "Kan ya ma kan: there was and there was not...") whether they offer Islamic variants on well-known Western wisdom tales or introduce specifically Islamic tenets and practices. A thoroughly accessible collection, it can be shared with younger children as well as the target audience. Both families who hope to understand Islamic culture and families who are immersed in it should welcome this work. Ages 9-12. (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Karen Leggett

This is a small but heavy book, with a silky-smooth cover, glossy pages and softly painted illustrations framed with flowers or Islamic geometric designs. It is a perfect way to present this "treasury of Islamic wisdom." There are morality tales perfect for reading to young children, who will find that Joha (one of his many names) is not unlike Anansi — always getting into fixes and always leaving us with a good thought. There are strictly religious stories directly from the Koran (stories of Abraham and Jesus) and the life of the Prophet Mohammed as well as stories from Islamic culture in countries as diverse as Turkey, China, Pakistan, West Africa and Indonesia. The authors, one a Muslim educator and the other trained in comparative religions, want the stories they have collected to introduce children and adults to Islam. It is an exquisite introduction. Each story opens with a quotation from the Koran or hadiths, experiences written down about the Prophet's life. There are several pages of notes and sources for quotes and stories. The tales can be read by older students in world literature or comparative religion classes; but the tales are also perfect to share with young children just for enjoyment or to teach other lessons. A story about a grocer and a parrot in Iran teaches that the "strongest among you is the one who controls his anger." A story from Pakistan about the parts of the body complaining about each other teaches the value of teamwork. The stories are fun and funny, instructive and memorable, and all exquisitely presented. 2004, Eastern Washington University Press, Ages 7 up.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-This book aims to do for Islam what Conover's Kindness (EWU, 2000) did for Buddhism: reflect the ethos of the religion in a treasury of stories accessible to teens. Here, too, pithy sayings from the tradition are framed on full pages between the narratives, and 22 pages of notes and sources provide foundations and suggest further exploration. These stories from the Qur'an, from Muslim history, hadiths (oral tradition), and folktales originated in the Middle East, China, Indonesia, Africa, and even Muslim Spain; several are from Sufi teachings (e.g., Rumi's). Although many feature mullahs, women star in a couple of tales. Focusing on life lessons, even the stories identified as historical can have an idealized moral: a band of robbers converted by the honesty of a youth, or a thief reformed by a lone woman's kindness. Calligraphy and frames surrounding illustrations reflect the astounding inventiveness of design in the Islamic tradition. Of the dozen line-and-color illustrations, most represent a scene and reflect the cultural diversity of the sources. Several are merely decorative. Islam today is undeniably important: a work as informative and entertaining as this one, that helps readers to understand its values, should be welcome.-Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George's School, Newport, RI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.