Reading with Maryam – Discovering Muslim Children’s Books that Delight and Inspire

Night of the Moon. By Hena Khan. Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. (Chronicle Books, 2008). This story of a Pakistani American girl’s celebration of Ramadan is Maryam’s current favorite. The story follows a young girl who looks up each night into the sky to observe the changing shape of the moon, whose appearance as a new crescent marks the beginning and end of Ramadan. The vivid, jewel tone illustrations are replete with the arches and arabesques of Islamic art. I love the fact that the story ends with the young girl receiving a gift of a telescope to watch the night sky – a subtle message to our daughters that they can be scientists, too.