(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. This honest and validating book looks at how a young girl copes with the pain she feels in being labeled "too sensitive" and told to grow "thicker skin." How can she change something she can't control? "Her skin must actually have been quite thin because she could feel their words passing into her." Amini's textured collage illustrations effectively convey the overwhelming effects of the criticisms, showing the heavy words swirling around the child's head and ultimately pouring into her body, darkening the space around her. "Finally, it got so crowded...that she couldn't hear her own thoughts or feel her own feelings." With space, rest, and quiet, she eventually knows how to turn those mean words into something positive and empowering. The emotionally resonant text and striking illustrations capture the healing one can find in art and creativity. The text seems best suited for elementary-aged children, though the powerful message resounds for all ages.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) PS Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. A pair of snails is at the heart of this Noah's Ark story of perseverance and friendship. When Esther, a yellow-shelled snail, wakes early one morning and notices a sharpness in the air, she understands that "something was happening. Something big." Spying a ship on the horizon, Esther begins her slow trek toward it. All around her, "the ground vibrated with footsteps," "the sky hummed with wings," and "the rivers gurgled with swimmers." She's momentarily tangled in a spider's web, but presses on--until a thought makes her pause: "Did her friend Solomon know about the storm?" Esther finds him in the fern glade, and together they make it to the ark, where they're welcomed by an entire community of animal pairs. Amini's hand-drawn and digitally layered acrylic-gouache collages convey the rushed forward-movement of the creatures and the progressively darkening skies. The interior of the ark and the animals' faces are full of warmth and golden tones that contrast with the cool tones of the tumultuous storm raging outside. With loyalty, perseverance, and friendly animals, the story of Esther and Solomon is a refreshing new angle on a familiar tale.

Reviewer: Emmie Stuart | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Geometric shapes are compared, in simple rhyming stanzas, to shapes found in traditional Islamic architecture, art, and rituals. Minarets are cone-shaped, the Ka'aba is a cube, and so on. Mixed-media illustrations are ornate and richly colored; depicting a different country on each spread, the pictures showcase the ethnic diversity within Islam yet focus on traditional (and sometimes archaic) attire. An author's note is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Brooklyn neighbors Moses (Moe) Feldman and Mohammad (Mo) Hassan meet while grocery shopping. One is Jewish and the other Muslim, but they look like twins and become great friends. Both text and illustrations mirror their similar experiences, emphasizing cultural and religious commonalities. Amini's multimedia collages combine photorealism, wild color combinations, and expressively stylized faces. Notes discuss Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan and include recipes for holiday treats.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Gonzales pens a loving exhortation to his daughter to embrace her cultural identity. In simple, lyrical verse, Gonzales tells his daughter that not everyone will like who she is. He advises her to identify herself by her faith, ethnicity, and language, as well as reminding her--and us all--that the Islamic faith spans many nationalities and cultures. Rich, color-saturated illustrations incorporate vibrant patterns and motifs.

Reviewer: Aishah Abdul-Musawwir | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. A child describes the religious and cultural artifacts that define Islam for her family. Her grandfather wears a white kufi; she and her dad face Mecca on a red prayer rug. The book's strength is in the saturated colors of the stylized art and the brief introduction to Muslim culture. The rhyming text is unremarkable, but this child's view of Islam should prove useful. Glos.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth