Celebrate the Islamic year with your children! This work invites the reader to explore Muslim festivals with an inspiring treasury of stories, suras, songs, games, recipes, crafts and art activities. The major festivals are described vividly, together with attractive projects that engage children creatively. A selection of folk tales illustrate the core values underlying Islamic culture with gentle humour and wisdom. This is a unique resource for educators and parents who want to share the spiritual wealth of Islam with children.
The Islamic Year: Surahs, Stories, and Celebrations FROM THE PUBLISHER Celebrate the IslamicYear in your family or at school! You
are invited to explore Muslim festivals with this inspiring treasury of stories,
surahs, songs, games, recipes, craft and art activities. Folk tales illustrate
the core values of Islamic culture with gentle humour and wisdom.
The Islamic Year is beautifully illustrated, with a colour
calendar, Arabic calligraphy of the Names of God, traditional patterns, maps and
pictures drawn from many part of the Muslim world.
About the Author:
Noorah Al-Gailani¿¿¿s family is from Iraq. She teaches Islam
in Saturday schools and works as a curator in London.
Chris Smith is a musician and storyteller, known for his
storytelling of The Queen of Sheba at the British Museum. He has a passion for
Arab folktales, myths and legends, gained from living in
Palestine. FROM THE CRITICS Publishers Weekly PW has complained for some time about the lack of informative books about Islamic holidays and celebrations, and this book begins to fill that void. Aimed at school-age children and their parents, it is loaded with activities, crafts, recipes and stories to help children understand the meaning behind holiday traditions. The authors discuss some variations in holiday celebrations by Muslims around the world; in Turkey, Sufi whirling dances are performed during the evenings of Ramadan, while in Bangladesh, the wealthy give clothes to the poor. The book is imaginatively structured around the life of the prophet Muhammad, with holidays arranged as they relate to the prophet's life and work: his birth, his ascension, etc. The New Year's holiday (hijrah) is explained by pairing it with Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina. Not just for Muslims, this book offers helpful and accessible information for non-Muslim educators and parents who are interested in interfaith understanding. The appendices include a glossary and a section of suggestions for teachers. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal Organized so that the explanations of and activities for the festivals are linked to an appropriate point in Muhammad's life, the book is more holistic and unified than most volumes designed for non-Muslims. It was created specifically for adults who want to study Islam with children so that this often-misunderstood religion can be more completely and sympathetically known to non-adherents. The authors have collected their stories not only from the Middle Eastern nations, but also from Islamic traditions as far afield as Uzbekistan, Malaysia, and West Africa. The bibliography lists titles both in English and Arabic, but the sources for obtaining the craft materials are all in the U.K. The book has a sometimes-evangelical nature, but since the stories and information will be filtered through teachers and other adults, this should not pose a problem. This title stands out among the flurry of books published in the past few years, both for the quality of its activities and the inclusion of folktales that can be used within a study of Islam or as stand-alone stories for units on many different topics.-Coop Renner, Fairmeadows Elementary, Duncanville, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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