Assalamou alaikum everybody
I would like to share ideas about the best muslim children's books! This is one I got recently:
"What do we say?"
http://www.amazon.com/What-Do-We-Say...2362611&sr=1-5
While this is a nice intro and it introduces some phrases that my son is starting to learn (Alhamdullilah, Insha'allah, etc) as well as some I don't typically use a lot, I think it might be best for a slightly younger child, say 1-2. He is 3 and I think he could go for a little more "story" at this point rather than the writing style of this book. The pictures are cute though.
I also ordered this book:
Traveling Man: The story of Ibn Battuta
Amazon.com: Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta 1325-1354 (9780618432332): James Rumford: Books
It's a very nicely made book, nice illustrations and good story (and very interesting story if you are familiar with Ibn Battuta, who was a real life muslim explorer, but simplified into a picture book for children!) It would also be suitable for a slightly older child and was enjoyable for me to look at too because of the nice pictures. My son liked following the "road" through the book.
I also ordered this book:
Stories of the Prophets
Amazon.com: Stories of the Prophets in the Holy Qu'ran (9781597841337): Shahada Sharelle Haqq: Books
Despite the fact that one of the reviewers said he purchased it for a three year old, the stories in my opinion are two advanced for enjoyment or understanding at this age. It has (in english) stories of all the prophets from the Quran. I quickly determined that it was too advanced for my son so I haven't read it all yet, I think it would be good for an older child who was old enough to read and understand it on their own and understand difficult concepts (maybe 10+). The illustrations (though they don't include people) are very lush and colorful.
I would love to hear your favorite muslim books for kids! I am looking for stories and books for my son that are about muslims and make basic concepts like praying, looking forward to eid, etc familiar and normal to him outside being just something mommy does, as we don't really have many other muslims in our lives unfortunately! Although he is 3 please feel free to mention books for any age kids (with age recommendations) so we can all benefit
I am especially looking for books that have nice pictures (beautiful drawings or even photos), along with a nice story or interesting text, I have to say the very limited islamic "kids books" that I've seen locally don't have very good illustrations (or writing), so I'm pretty much buying online and it can be hard to determine what the inside will be like.
Interestingly, one of my son's favorite books about Islam has been this one which I got at a national geographic sale a year or so ago, he frequently requests it:
Celebrate Ramadan & Eid Al-Fitr - Hardcover - National Geographic Store