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Salat in Secret

Author Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Illustrated by Hatem Aly
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Hardcover
$18.99 US
RH Childrens Books | Random House Studio
10.38"W x 10.25"H x 0.37"D  
On sale Jun 06, 2023 | 40 Pages | 978-1-9848-4809-3
| Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile AD530L | Fountas & Pinnell N
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From the critically acclaimed author of Your Name Is a Song and the bestselling illustrator of The Proudest Blue comes a story about a Muslim boy who receives a salat (prayer) rug on his seventh birthday and becomes empowered about his faith.

In this beautiful story of community, family, and acceptance, a boy named Muhammad receives a special salat rug on his seventh birthday. Seven is the age when Muslim children are encouraged to pray, and Muhammad is determined to do all five daily prayers on time. But one salat occurs during the school day--and he's worried about being seen praying at school. His father parks his truck to worship in public places, and people stare at and mock him. Will the same thing happen to Muhammad?

In the end, with help from his teacher, he finds the perfect place to pray. Salat in Secret, by two highly acclaimed Muslim creators, is a poignant and empowering look at an important facet of Islam that many observant children cherish but might be scared to share.
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, MSEd, is a former English teacher who has educated children and teens for fifteen years. As an inaugural AMAL fellow with the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), she developed foundational curricular frameworks for youth and adult anti-racist programming. Her picture books and short stories, which feature young Black and Muslim protagonists, have been recognized as the best in children’s literature by Time magazine, Read Across America, and NPR. These works include Mommy's Khimar, Once Upon an Eid (anthology contributor), and Your Name Is a Song. View titles by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured in multiple publications worldwide. He currently lives in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people. His illustrated work includes the Newbery Honor winner The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, The Unicorn Rescue Society series also by Adam Gidwitz with several amazing contributing authors, The Story Pirates book series with Geoff Rodkey and Jacqueline West, early readers series Meet Yasmin with Saadia Faruqi, How to Feed Your Parents by Ryan Miller, and The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed. Hatem has more upcoming books and projects in the works. You can find him online @metahatem. View titles by Hatem Aly
★ "An empowering and important tale of bravery." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Digital patterened art and vibrant backdrops....depict the tale’s ample emotions in this sincerely wrought celebration of family and faith." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"For anyone who has ever felt a little worried about sharing a beloved family or cultural ritual, this title will be welcome and even cherished; it will also inform some readers about Islam and explain a bit more about the practice of prayer." —School Library Journal

"Readers familiar with finding pride in their religious customs even as they are ostracized will both relate to Muhammad’s troubles and cheer for him when he musters the courage to ask for a place to pray at school." —The Bulletin

About

From the critically acclaimed author of Your Name Is a Song and the bestselling illustrator of The Proudest Blue comes a story about a Muslim boy who receives a salat (prayer) rug on his seventh birthday and becomes empowered about his faith.

In this beautiful story of community, family, and acceptance, a boy named Muhammad receives a special salat rug on his seventh birthday. Seven is the age when Muslim children are encouraged to pray, and Muhammad is determined to do all five daily prayers on time. But one salat occurs during the school day--and he's worried about being seen praying at school. His father parks his truck to worship in public places, and people stare at and mock him. Will the same thing happen to Muhammad?

In the end, with help from his teacher, he finds the perfect place to pray. Salat in Secret, by two highly acclaimed Muslim creators, is a poignant and empowering look at an important facet of Islam that many observant children cherish but might be scared to share.

Author

Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, MSEd, is a former English teacher who has educated children and teens for fifteen years. As an inaugural AMAL fellow with the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), she developed foundational curricular frameworks for youth and adult anti-racist programming. Her picture books and short stories, which feature young Black and Muslim protagonists, have been recognized as the best in children’s literature by Time magazine, Read Across America, and NPR. These works include Mommy's Khimar, Once Upon an Eid (anthology contributor), and Your Name Is a Song. View titles by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured in multiple publications worldwide. He currently lives in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people. His illustrated work includes the Newbery Honor winner The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, The Unicorn Rescue Society series also by Adam Gidwitz with several amazing contributing authors, The Story Pirates book series with Geoff Rodkey and Jacqueline West, early readers series Meet Yasmin with Saadia Faruqi, How to Feed Your Parents by Ryan Miller, and The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed. Hatem has more upcoming books and projects in the works. You can find him online @metahatem. View titles by Hatem Aly

Praise

★ "An empowering and important tale of bravery." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Digital patterened art and vibrant backdrops....depict the tale’s ample emotions in this sincerely wrought celebration of family and faith." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"For anyone who has ever felt a little worried about sharing a beloved family or cultural ritual, this title will be welcome and even cherished; it will also inform some readers about Islam and explain a bit more about the practice of prayer." —School Library Journal

"Readers familiar with finding pride in their religious customs even as they are ostracized will both relate to Muhammad’s troubles and cheer for him when he musters the courage to ask for a place to pray at school." —The Bulletin

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