Muslim kids book club

18/02/2026

20/09/2024

Assalam Alaikum and Jum’uah Mubarak! May your Jum’uah be blessed and all your duas answered, Ameen 🤲🏼

********Noor Kids book series review*******

Editors: Amin Aaser, Sana Aaser, Ammar Habib
Researchers: Noor Bibi, Sana Aaser
Creative developers: Ammar Habib, Maryum Mohsin, Amin Aaser
Publisher:
Age: 6+

Plot line:
Each Noor Kids book deals with a social issue that is relevant to our times and that kids will understand. For example, racism, lying, deception, showing courage, having tawakkul, being a good friend in the context of Islam, etc. The books are build on an evidence based methodology from Harvard University and are highly engaging as a result.

Why my kids love this book series:
Where do I start? There are soooo many reasons to love this book series that can be purchased as bundles directly from the site.

1. The characters - they each have their own strengths and the relationships between each character are shown well throughout each story - as a source of friendship, camaraderie and even disagreement. None of the characters are shown as ‘bad’ or ‘good,’ but rather as figures who make choices that have consequences. Their learning journey is what is emphasised.

2. The colourful comic like presentation - makes it easy to understand and digest, and visually appealing to kids of this age group who are reading other fiction in the same category.

3. The handling of contemporary issues - this is a BIG plus and I don’t think any other series does this so well! The way they have weaved the language, culture and sociopolitical issues of today’s generation into the story is commendable. Technology such as smart phones/devices/GPS even have an Arabic name! One word to describe this is - cool. It makes the whole message relatable and doesn’t come off as preachy.

4. The structure - there is an introductory parents’ page, two stories per book, check in questions throughout each story, activities to diversify the content and a page on learning an Arabic letter at the end. It’s power-packed content and extends kids beyond just listening to a story.

My star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+++++

29/08/2024

Assalam Alaikum everybody! Hope you’re having a wonderful day/night whichever part of the world you’re in. Sorry for not being very active this year, I’ve had some personal circumstances limiting my engagement with you all.

In Shaa Allah I will soon be posting some book reviews, so stay tuned 📕 📖

I’ve also launched an Etsy shop called ‘Muslimotopia’ where you can browse educational resources that will elevate your practice and worship, in Shaa Allah 🤲🏼 🕋

https://muslimotopia.etsy.com

Such as a Dream Dua Diary and a guide on how to learn a Surah when we are time poor! I’ll also be creating resources to help teach children, in Shaa Allah 🌈 🥎 🍭

Your support would be appreciated and is invaluable in helping me reach as many Muslims and their families around the world, so please do check out Muslimotopia and download the digital resources I have created at a minimal cost. In Shaa Allah it will be a large investment in your akhirah! 🤲🏼

JazakhAllah Khair,
Sister Safeera.

Shop A resource utopia for Muslims’ growth and development by Muslimotopia located in Melbourne, Australia.

11/01/2024

Assalam Alaikum! After a long hiatus I am posting this review, Alhamdulillah 🤲🏼

********Yasmine’s belly button review*******

Author: Asmaa Hussein
Illustrator: Charity Russell
Publisher: Ruqaya's Bookshelf
Age: 4+

Plot line:
What are belly buttons for? A very important question indeed for every child! And even more important when we realise they are a reminder of our physical connection to our mother; but one that remains connected by heart even after the umbilical cord is cut. The belly button becomes a clever way for Yasmine to connect to other children when she joins a new school - very unique indeed!

Why my kids love this book:
I didn’t know what to expect from this story when I ordered it (maybe a story of a piercing that goes wrong?!) but I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Allah has told us to reflect on all His creations, including our wonderfully complex bodies. My children didn’t think about their belly buttons until reading this book, so this story helped open up so many conversations about our bodies, and how they have been designed by our Creator. The book is easy on the eyes and even proves to be a good introductory lesson to embryology!

My star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

23/08/2023

Assalam Alaikum, in this month of Safar I am reviewing the following two books by Sister Ariba Farheen also from Australia who runs Emaan Power. Please do check out her page for more information on the beneficial courses and materials
she has for children and parents. I have personally benefited from much of her work including the two books below. May Allah reward her immensely, Ameen.

🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼🕋🌙🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼

***Discover the Power of Salah and Power up your Salah book reviews***

Authors: Ariba Farheen
Designer/Illustrator: Ryan Mahendra
Publisher: Emaan Power
Age group: 5.5-6+ (really depends on child)

Plot line:
Both books are focused on answering the deep question that most of us wondered about our whole childhood - WHY do we really pray? We know it’s because it’s a pillar of Islam, we know it’s because it’s the first thing Allah will ask us about on Day of Judgement, but HOW does it help us? These two books answer this critical question and many more that every child has, assisting parents to explain why through interesting concepts that are easy to remember long after the books have been digested. Sister Areeba has reported parents around the world saying that they didn’t have to remind their kids to pray after reading these books, SubhanAllah!

Why do my kids love this book?
Well, I’ve only gone through these books with my eldest child who is now 7 years old, Alhamdulillah. You need to start with ‘Discover’ then go to ‘Power up’. I didn’t read either books in a linear fashion - instead, I read sections ad hoc, as needed. I accessed the stories and concepts that had pictures because they grabbed my child’s attention more, and I summarised the concepts sometimes for ease.

My child loved learning about how salah is a gift from Allah, how it acts as ‘pit stops’ in our busy day, and how much more confident, calm, productive and successful we become as a result of doing it consistently. ‘Power up’ takes the why further by explaining what khushu is and how to practically apply it, for example by changing the location of where you pray and thinking about how takbeer acts to push away all worries and preoccupations to the back, so you can just focus on your connection with Allah.

Unfortunately there are some spelling mistakes throughout the books but they don’t take away from the beautiful work Sister Ariba has done to explain these difficult concepts to children. If you enrol in her courses she explains what motivates her to do this which is definitely evident in her writing.

My star rating:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

29/06/2023

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard!

Nuzhah Joomna, Marco Rashid Simoni, Suhayl Peerbocus, Ruwaida Abrahams Alexander, ياسمين محمد, Amira Daher, Nida Aman

23/06/2023

Assalam Alaikum and welcome to all the new followers of my page especially since Ramadan. Truly a blessing from Allah S.W.T. I haven’t been able to post new reviews since Ramadan however believe that this book review is perfect for the month of Dhul Hijjah!

🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼🕋🌙🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼

***The Green Dinosaur Umbrella review***

Authors: Amina Banawan and Asma Hussein
Illustrator: Rania Hasan
Publisher: Ruqaya's Bookshelf
Age group: 4+

Plot line:
I thought it was fitting to review this beautiful tale about sacrifice and unity during Hajj. This is a unique story like no other, about a young boy Ibrahim who goes on Hajj with his father and how his gorgeous green dinosaur umbrella serves to lift other Hajis’ spirits and breaks down barriers of race. SubhanAllah!

Why do my kids love this book?
This book is beautifully told because it uses a tangible object that many children love - an umbrella - in the shape of an also loved prehistoric animal, to narrate all the significant events and sites of the Hajj pilgrimage. This is incredibly clever!

All the Haji’s realise that the other person is in need of the umbrella more than they are, and this lesson about sharing and receiving in return greater than what we could imagine from Allah is beautifully presented. The umbrella brings a smile on everyone’s
face who encounters it, including two Hajis who are arguing and a young girl who is gifted it on Eid-Al-Adha. And would you believe, on social media my youngest child and I spotted a green umbrella being used during Tawaf during this Hajj!!! SubhanAllah!

There is a photo at the end of the story that summarises the Hajj pilgrimage along with an ayah from Surah Al-Hujarat about how Allah created us in tribes so we can get to know one another. Hajj forces us to acknowledge and realise exactly this through its sacred rituals - another blessing from our Creator, SubhanAllah!

My star rating:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

30/03/2023

Ramadan Mubarak to all! SubhanAllah one week of Ramadan has passed, may Allah help us to reach the end with success, Ameen 🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼🕋🌙🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼

***Who Will Help Me Make Iftar? review***

Authors: Asma Hussein
Illustrator: Samina Caliskan
Publisher: Ruqaya's Bookshelf
Age group: 4+

Plot line:
I thought it was fitting to review this heartwarming tale about making iftar and keeping up traditions in Ramadan! The crux of this story is about how an older gentleman and his wife want to keep up with hosting an annual iftar but the wife is ill. When they ask for help from family and friends, all sorts of excuses are served. How the couple overcomes these roadblocks with patience and perseverance is the essence of the story.

Why do my kids love this book?
This book is simple but craftily makes one’s gut turn when every family member or friend offers an unreasonable excuse to not help with preparing the iftar. You feel bad for the protagonist, but he doesn’t seem to be bothered and keeps forging ahead with preparations. Thankfully his famiy and friends realise their mistake, and make amends at the end. Because of the focus on food, simplicity of the storyline and warm graphics with orange, brown and blue tones infusing the flavour of the Turkish backdrop, my children have loved reading this book over and over again. Having their grandparents in their lives (Alhamdulillah) also makes it relatable in terms of understanding older people’s struggles with illness and the beautiful patience they show.

There is a short explanation of what Ramadan is on the last page along with name pronounciation tips - I recommend reading the tips before reading the story to accurately reflect the Turkish origin of the characters’ names.

My star rating:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

12/02/2023

Assalam Alaikum! JazakhAllah Khair for the growing followship, may the knowledge and information shared with each and every one of you be beneficial to you, your children and be an act of Sadaqah Jariah for all of us, Ameen 🤲🏼

**********Pizza in His Pocket review*********

Author: Jawwad Abdul Rahman
Illustrator: Achla Anand
Publisher: Goodword Books
Age: 4+

Plot line:
Why would you put pizza in your pocket?! Well, that is the crux of this story about a boy who loves to eat. So much that he feels sick, and then realises the error of his gluttony when he meets a girl and her family who have gone hungry for days.

Why my kids love this book:
Written in rhyme, this book is easy to read and understand with bright pictures. It skilfully and simply introduces the concepts of being thankful to Allah, not over indulging and sharing with others who are in need. It’s a perfect read in the lead up to Ramadan!

Allahumma Ballighna Ramadan! 🤲🏼 🌙 💫 🕌

My star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

05/01/2023

Jum’uah Mubarak to all! 🤲🏼 🕋 🌙 🤲🏼🕋🌙🤲🏼

*****Goodnight Stories from the Quran*****

Authors: Saniyasnain Khan
Illustrator: Gurmeet
Publisher: Goodword Books
Age group: 5+

Plot line:
This is a compilation of 33 stories from the Quran told in short format and suitable for kids. They are presented in chronological order, from the time that Allah created the universe to our beloved Prophet’s (s.a.w) last message.

Why do my kids love this book?
This is one of the only kids books that details so many stories from the Quran in an engaging way. Each story provides enough detail to hook young ones and make them understand what happened in the lives of the Prophets. There are lessons to be learned from each story, however, the vocabulary used in this part of each story is more suited to kids 7-8+.

I started reading from this book when my eldest was 4 years of age, and we still go back to it every time we want to revisit a Prophet’s story to reinforce concepts and rejog our memories of important historical events. His favourites are the stories of Firaun and Prophet Musa a.s., Prophet Yunus a.s. being trapped in the whale’s belly and Prophet Yusuf a.s.’s dream coming true.

The book has lovely illustrations that transport one’s imagination to the time and place of the events, but perhaps are not enough at times to keep younger kids focused and so it boils down to how the stories are read by the parent. There are also some typographical and grammatical errors in places that need attention for the next version should it be forthcoming, in Shaa Allah. All in all a must have in your library!

My star rating:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️