Book Review #2: Going to Mecca Author: Na’ima B. Robert Illustrator: Valentina Cavallini Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books At the Somali Literacy Project, one of our goals is to find children’s books which are culturally responsive to the literary needs of Somali children. With that said, we were delighted to find Going to…
Sirad Shirdon In September, my two nieces began school at a local Montessori school, a far cry from their previous school: a charter school in Columbus with questionable educational quality. The charter school she attended, like many in North Columbus, has a large Somali student population. In recent years, Somali parents in the US…
Children’s books on Ramadhan and the holidays of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha Here are a list of children’s books, which address Ramadhan (Islamic month of fasting), and Islam’s two holidays of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha. All of these books are available through Amazon and/or Ebay, and may be available…
Sirad Shirdon A few weeks ago, on the eve of the Muslim holiday Eid ul Adha, a kindergarten teacher inquired into the availability of related reading material. “Are there books about Eid?” she asked. Ms. M, the teacher, had prepared a book on Islam, to share with the students. “Of course, there are!” I exclaimed. Without…
The Somali Literacy Project 