The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family

by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Publisher Unknown

Description

Faizah relates how she feels on the first day her sister, sixth-grader Asiya, wears a hijab to school.

Awards

Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Picturebook — 2021)
Monarch Award (Nominee — 2022)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades K-3 — 2022)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Elementary — 2022)
Chickadee Award (Nominee — 2021)

Original publication date

2019

ISBN

0316519006 / 9780316519007

Similar in this library

User reviews

LibraryThing member melodyreads
Lovely sister story, with hijab.
LibraryThing member villemezbrown
Goodreads Choice Awards Project: Read as many of the Best Picture Book nominees as possible. 4 to go!

Again, nice sentiments and art, like fellow nominee Sulwe that I just read, but I really feel odd about any religion that tells people how to dress in their daily life (and I'm looking at you Mormon
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underwear, Amish hats, Roman Catholic school uniforms, Jewish yarmulkes, etc.), especially considering that in the Garden of Eden story clothing seems to be a human construct whereas God apparently would rather have us all be nude.

Also, I was much more interested in the author bio and her experience as an Olympic saber team member. Where's the book about that?
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LibraryThing member Sondosottallah
It takes a courageous person to wear hijab especially at a young age. When Asiya starts wearing the hijab, her little sister, Faizah, seems to be the one worried. However, Asiya takes all the teasing elegantly which makes Faziah realize how strong her sister is. I loved this book, it captures the
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hijab as strong, proud, and friendly. My students who are Muslim related very much to this book. This book can also be read to students who are not very familiar with what a hijab is.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
You may recognize the author’s name from her success at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she earned the bronze medal competing for the American fencing team (while wearing a hijab). Ibtihaj Muhammad was born and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, and is of African American descent. Her parents
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converted to Islam and raised their five children as Muslims. S.K. Ali is an award-winning author of books for young adults.

This picture book for ages 4-10 tells the story of Faizah, a little girl who is about to get her first hijab. Her mother suggests she choose pink, but Faizah wants a blue hijab matching the one worn by her sister Asiya. Faizah reasons:

“Asiya’s hijab isn’t a whisper.
Asiya’s hijab is like the sky on a sunny day.
The sky isn’t a whisper.
It’s always there, special and regular.”

Asiya has gotten teased and bullied because of her hijab, but Mama helps shore up her confidence, explaining:

“Some people won’t understand your hijab… But if you understand who you are, one day they will too.”

Mama also advises Asiya:

“Don’t carry around the hurtful words that others say. Drop them. They are not yours to keep. They belong only to those who said them.”

Faizah can’t wait to wear the same hijab as Asiya: “Saying I’ll always be here, like sisters. Like me and Asiya.”

The author, in an Afterword, explains that she too was bullied as a child for wearing the hijab. She writes:

“You wouldn’t think that a simple headscarf could cause such commotion, but throughout my childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, it has. It isn’t easy, and I’m sure girls today face the same treatment - or worse - than what I faced.”

Thus she was inspired to write this story to help children in the same position see kids like themselves in a picture book, and read about feeling pride in wearing a hijab. She wants them to hear "that the parts of ourselves that might make us appear ‘different’ are worth celebrating.”

She concludes:

“My hijab is part of me - it’s a testament to my faith and love of Allah. . . . My hijab is beautiful. To the young girls out there reading this story who are hijabis: So is yours.”

S.K. Ali added in an interview about the book:

"THE PROUDEST BLUE is an exploration of the pride, warmth and happiness that many Muslim girls feel, twinned with the reality of a world that doesn’t accept that this could be the case. . . . . this constant internal turmoil didn’t and doesn’t now erase the beauty we found in being Muslim, and the strength we developed in sustaining that belief in an increasingly hostile world.

That’s why THE PROUDEST BLUE ends on a note of the kind of gutsy resilience that’s carried Ibtihaj and I and all our sisters in the faith to who we are today as strong women, women who don’t let others dictate the terms of our happiness."

The illustrator, Hatem Aly, uses a style reminiscent of comics and graphic novels. His ink-wash and watercolor artwork cleverly shows the bullies only as faceless silhouettes, while the sisters stand out as well-defined in their strength.

Evaluation: Bullying by children aimed at those perceived to be “different” for any reason remains common and often devastating to those on the receiving end. Books like this may help increase the resilience of those who are attacked and the understanding of those who aren't. The story also is commendable for showing the importance of the loving support of family members.
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LibraryThing member bookwren
A beautiful tribute to faith and family, and empowering girls. I am inspired to read Ibtihaj Muhammad's autobiography. Includes Authors' Notes and photographs of Ibtihaj and her sisters, Asiya and Faizah.
LibraryThing member HeidiSV
Excellently illustrated, rich with symbolism and culture, The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family shows the importance of the religious garment while showing the effects on the family. The storyline is not forced, feeling very natural and engaging while telling the story. The illustrations
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are breathtaking and are rightly considered as works of art in and of themselves, spanning across pages and showing the depth and importance of the story. Extremely well done.
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LibraryThing member J_Odiorne
On the most beautiful day of school, Asiyah wears her hijab for the first time. The first day of wearing a hijab is special. It means being strong. Sister Faizah hears a boy laugh at her and wonders "why?". Then another boy yells, "I am going to pull that tablecloth off your head. Mama says to
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drown the hurtful words that others say, "they are not yours to keep". The two sisters proudly walk home together in solidarity.

Critical Analysis: This mirror/window/sliding door story promotes diversity and fosters being proud of your own identity/cultural identity. Children can learn about the differences in others and appreciate and value that diversity. They could talk about the characters aad judge the appropriateness of the behaviors and predict possible consequences as well as moral and ethical discussion making (especially discussion of bullying) They will be able to make inferences about the feelings of others, develop compassion and empathy, and engaging in prosocial behaviors and through roleplaying

Favorite quote: "Asiyah's hijab is like the ocean and the sky no line between them saying hello with a loud wave saying I'll always be here, like sisters, like me and Asiyah."
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