Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes
May 07, 2018
Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes
by Hena Khan
Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini
Chronicle Books Publishing Company
Published on April 10th, 2018
Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets is a children’s “picture book [that] celebrates the shapes and traditions of the Muslim world.” And that is no hyperbole.
Like no other children’s book around, Hena Khan rhymes about Islamic traditions such as Friday prayer, hajj, iftar, Eid, the daff and more. And Mehrdokht Amini has vibrant illustrations of Muslims from Asia to Africa, which exemplifies the diversity of the Muslim world.
While reading Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets, children will learn, and even adults, via engaging rhyme, important geometric shapes and key Islamic terms in English transliterations from the beautiful Arabic language.
Here is an exemplary four line stanza\excerpt in A-B-C-B:
“Arch is the mihrab
that guides our way.
We stand and face it
each time we pray.”
Like no other children’s book around, Hena Khan rhymes about Islamic traditions such as Friday prayer, hajj, iftar, Eid, the daff and more. And Mehrdokht Amini has vibrant illustrations of Muslims from Asia to Africa, which exemplifies the diversity of the Muslim world.
While reading Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets, children will learn, and even adults, via engaging rhyme, important geometric shapes and key Islamic terms in English transliterations from the beautiful Arabic language.
Here is an exemplary four line stanza\excerpt in A-B-C-B:
“Arch is the mihrab
that guides our way.
We stand and face it
each time we pray.”
I would highly recommend this book for Muslims, non-Muslims, children and adults from all over the world. It instantly reminded me of my childhood growing up learning about my religion and made me that much more happy to be a Muslim. Especially in this climate. It is more than important to learn about other people’s religion and beliefs in order for us to be one.
“When Muslim mathematicians and astronomers made significant contributions to science and technology, particularly in the eighth and ninth centuries, their discoveries also influenced Islamic art and architecture, resulting in ever more complex geometric patterns.” -Hena Khan, the Author of Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes.
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