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Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic by Wauter Mannaert

Posted on by hijabilibrarians

Mannaert, Wauter,; Illustrated by Wauter Mannaert; Translated By Montana Kane. Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic. Jan. 26, 2021, 160pp. First Second, $14.99. (9781250622044). Grades 3-6

Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic, a graphic novel by Belgian artist Wauter Mannart and translated by Montana Kane, follows 11-year-old aspiring chef Yasmina. Yasmina and her father Omran live in an apartment in Brussels, Yasmina preparing their vegetarian meals to eat at home and for Omar to take to his work at a frites shop. A photograph of a woman wearing hijab implies that Yasmina’s mother has passed away and that the family is Muslim, but there are no indicators of specific racial, ethnic, or cultural identity of the family. Yasmina’s cooking is delicious, their limited budget supplemented by Yasmina’s resourceful foraging and friends running community gardens. Still times are tight, and despite her initial reservations, Yasmina finds herself occasionally sneaking onto the lush rooftop garden of her mysterious upstairs neighbor to pilfer ingredients. 

When a big potato corporation buys up farms in the city and its outskirts things change for Yasmina. The company wants to monopolize the potato market with genetically modified crops, engineered to be irresistibly addictive, so much so that the populace start displaying bizarrely gluttonous, aggressive zombie-ish behavior. Yasmina no longer has access to as much fresh produce and her visits to the rooftop garden increase. While Yasmina is discovered she also find out that her elusive neighbor has a surprising link to this disturbing corporate potato scheme. Rallying her friends, Yasmina embarks on a daring (and silly) mission to expose the truth, take down the corporation, and restore balance to her community.

Mannaert’s narrative is fun and charming, but also visually engaging, employing sequential vignettes along with traditional panels to propel the story forward with dynamic action sequences, and find balance between words and illustrations. Older readers or those reading with children can approach the narrative with surface level fun or ask deeper questions around healthy eating, access to fresh produce, and even genetically modified foods. Still, it is up to the readers to engage in nuanced conversation about food access as well as the costs and benefits of GMOs, corporate interests, and food insecurity and shaming of food choices in the context of access and the privilege in food waste, particularly for readers in the United States. Still, this graphic novel raises awareness of access to food in a way that is fun, celebrates joy in cooking, and community. 

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Do You Even Know Me? by Faruqi, Reem, Illustrated by Ani Bushry

Posted on by hijabilibrarians

Faruqi, Reem Illustrated by Ani Bushry. Do You Even Know Me? May 7, 2024, 40pp. HaperCollins (9780063206182). Grades Prek-2nd

Do You Even Know Me? By Reem Faruqi and illustrated by Ani Bushry, addresses bullying and Islamophobia in a picture book for young readers that is both gentle and powerful. When elementary student Salma hears the word Muslim coming from a news anchor on tv, she is disturbed by the expression on the woman’s face, which is one of anger. Salma states that she is a Muslim, and that both her name and religion mean peace. She tells readers of how she is a peacemaker at home, between her siblings, to ants, and in the lunch line at school. She and her best friend Skye do everything together, but on a day that Skye is absent, another classmate, Luke, asks where Skye is and that “probably no one will ever sit with you or your people anymore.​​” Salma is upset but can’t react in time, and Luke continues his bullying, bumping into Salma on the playground with an insincere apology.

Salma gets advice from her siblings and friends, but after a classroom read-aloud about bullies results in Luke positioning himself as an anti-bully to their classmates and teacher, she does not know what to tell her teacher. Luke’s bullying becomes more and more prevalent, and Salma sits with the discomfort of her feelings over both the bullying and her inability to act. But when in the lunchroom Luke whispers “Muzzlim” to her, Salma is propelled to ask the titular question. When Luke responds by saying ”I know all about Muzzlims from TV,” Salma asserts her identity as a Muslim and tells him “what you see on TV is not who I am.” Observed by her teacher and classmates, Salma is able to recount everything that has happened and Luke faces consequences for his actions. 

In the days following Luke does not interact with Salma, but later attempts to brush his bullying under the rug. Salma does not let him do this, telling her how he made her feel, and he apologies, this time with sincerity. But when Luke’s best friend is absent one day, Salma remembers how that felt and reaches out, hinting at a future of friendship and understanding. 

Faruqi’s narrative addresses bullying and Islamophobia with nuance and complexity, considering childhood friendships and the weaponization of prejudice and its impact, alluding to the impact of media portrayals of Muslims on a national level on a personal every day one. Salma’s instances of standing up for herself model pathways towards resolutions with restorative practices and accountability. 

Accompanying the text are Bushry’s illustrations, which speak volumes in their simplicity and warmth. The soft colors and rounded shapes complement the story’s gentle yet profound message, by focusing on the everyday in Salma’s life–from pictures decorating the family home and endpapers to friend and family dynamics–deliberately humanizes Muslim children to emphasize both commonality and the responsibility of knowing real people. 

Backmatter enriches the reading experience, with both author and illustrator notes that provide valuable insights into real-world issues such as the Muslim ban, the dangers of misinformation, and emphasis on human connection. Anti-bullying resources include links to the Islamic Networks Group (ING) and Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), empowering readers to navigate complex topics with understanding and compassion and to learn. It is important to note that negative media images directly impact Muslim students. An 2020 ISPU report found in a survey of Muslim families just over half (51%) with children in K-12 public schools reported a child of theirs had been bullied for their faith in the past year. One-third of those bullied report that a teacher or school official was the bully.

Do You Even Know Me? resonates as a timely reminder of the importance and deliberate work of inclusivity, acceptance, and restorative practice. Through Salma’s journey, young readers are encouraged to embrace their identities, stand up against prejudice, and foster empathy in their communities.

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Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet Review and Discussion Guide

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We were delighted to be involved in the creation of a discussion guide for Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian and released in the United States by Penguin/Putnam. Find the discussion guide on the Penguin site and our review below.

Muslim British Pakistani Omar is an elementary aged boy with a huge imagination. As the middle child with a bossy older sister, Mayram, and a messy three-year old brother, Esa, Omar stands out because of his imaginative ideas and daydreams which sometimes gets him into trouble, but also helps him deal with his worries. With his family moving to a new home in London, Omar has been worrying a lot. 

Omar’s loving parents are scientists who are relocating for his mother’s dream job in cancer research. Though they are excited by their new home, their new neighbor, Mrs. Rogers, gives the family the cold shoulder, and is often on the phone complaining about what “the Muslims” are doing. Nervous about school and his teacher, Omar imagines a dragon protector named H2O. Ultimately, he finds that his teacher is understanding; she asks him about Ramadan and if he needs to be excused from activities if he is fasting. Omar even makes a new friend, Charlie. 

But just when he thinks he might not need all H2O’s help at school, he meets Daniel. Daniel bullies everyone, especially Charlie. When Daniel finds out that Omar and his family are Muslim, he treats Omar with even more vitriol, telling Omar that he and his family will be kicked out of the country. Omar’s cousin confirms Daniel’s words about Muslims being unwelcome and intensifies Omar’s worries.

Deceptively light-hearted and laugh-out-loud funny, Omar’s antics and reference points are tied to his identity. Mian makes references to Islamic terms and culture, such as prayer and dietary restrictions, as well as their Pakistani British identity in an unforced manner. Indonesian Mafaridik’s illustrations, cartoon-like and gentle, with simple, clean lines, give the series a Wimpy Kid like feel, which may appeal to younger children who are reading the book with family members. Muslim readers will find plenty of mirrors in Omar’s stories, from attending mosque to the tongue-in-cheek references to commonly held misconceptions about Muslims, for example, Maryam and Omar laughing about people possibly believing that their mom wears a hijab in the shower. The topics of racism and Islamophobia come up organically and allow readers opportunities to unpack their effects. Conflicts are resolved with compassion and mutual understanding. Omar and his family, in their foibles and actions guided by Islamic principles, are truly delightful. 

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Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan

Posted on by Sara Ahmed

Kaadan, Nadine. Tomorrow. Picture Book. Lantana Pub, 09/2018. 32 pp. $17.99. 978-1911373438. (RECOMMENDED). Ages 4-7.

Image result for tomorrow by nadine kaadan

When I first heard about Tomorrow I was very excited to read it. Not many books written in picture book format bring alive what a child is feeling while their country is at war. The story follows Yazan a young boy from the country of Syria. All Yazan wants to do is to go to the park and play with his friends. Unfortunately, he is no longer allowed outside, not even to go to school. When his family wants to go out his father makes a lot of phone calls first, when Yazan asks why, his father claims “Traffic! We’re trying to avoid the traffic.” Even his mother, who used to paint and let Yazan paint with her no longer does that. She sits in front of the television all day and watches the news very loudly.

Yazan tries to keep himself occupied by making paper airplanes, drawing and building castles out of pillows. But even that is not enough to stop him from wanting to go play outside. When his parents ignore his request to go out, he decides to take matters into his own hands, grabs his shiny red bike and heads out. However, what he finds is nothing is as it once was, the streets are deserted and nothing seems familiar. His father finds him and takes him back home where his mother scolds him and tells him to never do that again. She then brightens his day by telling him they will paint again and brings a park to his bedroom walls.

Image result for tomorrow by nadine kaadan

Yazan brings the story to life through her illustrations which are dark and gloomy as the book goes on. This is done to depict the mood of Yazan who is desperate to go out and have fun. There are two illustrations in the book that are bright and happy; the first is when Yazan remembers when his mother used to paint, and the second is at the end of the book when his mother picks up her paintbrush again to paint his room.

Kaadan also adds a note at the end of the story, which notes how her own experience seeing the children in her hometown of Damascus, not understand why their lives were changing, only that they were. Tomorrow is a gentle but somber depiction of the current condition of children in Syria. While Kaadan does not bring the war and devastation to the pages, she brings the everyday life of these Syrian children who no longer go to parks, play with friends or go to school. This would be an enlightening story to read with a child in order to begin to explain what is happening in Syria and to teach sympathy and understanding from the eyes of a child. While this story does not depict or mentions Muslims in anyway, after a little digging with the child, they will learn that Syria is a predominantly Muslim country.