Muslims in story : expanding multicultural understanding through children's and young adult literature

Title:

Author:

Manglik, Gauri author

ISBN:

9780838917411

Publication:

Chicago : ALA Editions, 2018.

Physical Description:

xvi, 248 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Contents:

An overview of Muslims in America -- Islamophobia and its impact -- Using literature to create long term systemic change -- Muslim kids as heroes : connecting across cultures -- Inspiring Muslim leaders and thinkers : showcasing current and historical contributions -- Celebrating Islam : understanding religious practices and traditions -- Folktales from Islamic traditions : drawing wisdom from tall tales -- Suggested guidelines to evaluate Muslim children's literature -- Frequently asked questions on Islam -- Timeline of Muslims in America.

Abstract:

"Islamophobia is a long standing, deeply entrenched global issue. Targeting the Muslim community was a key part of the Republican agenda in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections and since the Donald Trump's election, this fear of Islam and Muslims is translating into policy as well. Islamophobia disrupts civil society at many levels, from anti Muslim policies such as the travel ban, to heightened tensions and hate crimes across the country, including the increased bullying of Muslim children. One of the key causes of Islamophobia is ignorance, often fueled by negative portrayals of Muslims in media and popular culture. Counter Islamophobia through Stories is a timely and proactive approach to tackling this issue, by engendering friendships and empathy through literature. Our goal is to facilitate a systemic long term change in understanding the diversity of the Muslim experience and to build bridges of understanding and empathy. Exposing children in their formative years to positive stories about Muslims can go a long way to creating a multicultural understanding, and cementing ideas of tolerance, respect and acceptance. Books also help achieve visual diversity by showcasing different foods, dress and traditions. The proposed book will equip librarians to expose all children to Muslim children's books around different themes"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Islam -- United States -- Bibliography.

Muslims -- United States -- Bibliography.

Children's literature -- Bibliography.

Children -- Books and reading.

Local Subject:

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE COLLECTION

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION COLLECTION

Added Author:

Siddique, Sadaf

Available:

Library	Call Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... State Library of Oregon	809.9338297 Mangl	4-Week Loan	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Islamophobia, a long standing, deeply entrenched global issue, disrupts civil society at many levels, from anti-Muslim policies to heightened tensions and hate crimes, including the increased bullying of Muslim children. One of the root causes of Islamophobia is ignorance, often fueled by stereotyped and negative portrayals of Muslims in media and popular culture. Muslims in Story is a timely and proactive approach to tackling this issue, by engendering friendships and empathy through quality children's and young adult literature. Exposing children in their formative years to positive stories about Muslims can go a long way to creating a multicultural understanding by cementing ideas of tolerance, respect, and acceptance. This resource

recommends books that will act as windows and mirrors for PreK-12 readers by showcasing diverse foods, dress, and traditions; spotlights curated titles that feature Muslim kids as heroes, Islamic contributions throughout history, inspiring Muslim leaders, and folktales from Islamic traditions; includes helpful information such as an overview of Muslims in America, author interviews that lend insights into the stories, and hands-on programming activities and discussion tools; and provides a list of additional resources for gaining a better understanding of Islam.

This book will equip public and school library staff, including educators and collection development librarians, to make real change in their communities by validating lived experiences of Muslim kids and building a stronger sense of empathy, respect, and understanding towards Muslims.

Summary:

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Manglik and Siddique, the CEOs of KitaabWorld, a literary organization that spreads awareness about South Asian children's literature in the United States, take a proactive approach to combating Islamophobia. Presenting an overview of the history of Muslims in the United States as well as current demographic information, the authors broaden understanding of the diversity of American and worldwide Muslim communities. Readers will appreciate lists of books that spotlight Muslim kids as heroes, Islamic contributions throughout history, inspirational Muslim leaders, and lesser-known folktales from Islamic traditions that reclaim Orientalist narratives. Coupled with useful discussion questions, programming activities, and author interviews, these titles feature Muslims with diverse ethnicities, cultures, and religious practices (or non-practice). Appendixes include frequently asked questions about Islam, guidelines for evaluating Muslim children's literature, educational resources, a time line of Muslims in America, and a glossary of words used in the text in Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Bangla, and other languages. VERDICT This timely and essential purchase for public and school libraries humanizes Muslims and gives Muslim children authentic mirrors while creating important windows for non-Muslim readers.-Ariana Hussain, St. -Patrick's -Episcopal Day School, Washington, DC © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Choice Review

In 2017 Manglik and Siddique embarked on a campaign--through their literary organization, "KitaabWorld"--they called "Counter Islamophobia through Stories," which was intended to fill a gap in children's literature on Muslims and Muslim culture. The authors recognize that library collections often fall victim to tokenism, and that children in the US need exposure to books depicting and celebrating Muslim life. The present title is intended to help librarians do just that. Designed to build bridges, the book offers librarians and educators a rich list of relevant and engaging current titles on which to draw. The authors include folktales, biographies, and stories about everyday young people. Each entry is illustrated and annotated in depth, and each includes discussion starters and ideas for further engagement. Interspersed throughout are biographical profiles of select authors, who were interviewed about their driving philosophies. No comparable bibliography exists, so this book is a required resource for those who study children's literature or serve children in libraries and classrooms. The book includes five helpful appendixes: "Frequently Asked Questions on Islam," "Suggested Guidelines to Evaluate Muslim Children's Literature," "Time Line of Muslims in America," "A Few Unfamiliar Words," and "Suggested Educational Resources." [Disclosure: Choice is part of the American Library Association, which published this book.] Summing Up: Essential. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals, and general readers. --Lucy C. Duhon, The University of Toledo