Not Now, Noor!

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When Noor finally gets to her mom it is she who answers with poetic lyricism, "We are Muslim women, my Noor, Unapologetic and true. Imagine Me Stories is an award winning monthly subscription box that aims to inspire all children by providing quality black children's literature and empowering black history activities.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.Noor’s facial expressions, from excitement to dismay, are brilliantly funny and work well alongside the text. It seems to be a common approach lately, and I wish that more picture books about hijab would clearly articulate that the commandment to cover is in the Quran. Nabila Adani lives in Jakarta Indonesia and enjoys illustrating different cultures around the world. Telling the story of young Noor, who is desperate to find out why the female members of her family wear hijabs, this is a read which will delight young readers.

The book is beautifully illustrated, the size is great to be shared, the text funny, the voice playful,the joy contagious but the answer for me, just missed the mark, not by a lot, but by enough that I think an adult would need to supplement the overall takeaway message. Using a vibrant colour palette of reds, yellows and purples, the beautiful artwork is full of emotion and movement. The next page shows Noor's bustling family and she compares how her Ammu's hijab is not the same as her Nanu's or Dadu's or Aunt's or even her sister's, but she doesn't know why any of them wear it. Yes I know there is a family tree on the inside cover, but at story time, it is cumbersome to flip back and forth.The illustrations throughout this story are so colourful and vibrant and bring Noor and her family to life through the pages. It allows for a serious conversation about hijab to occur after, and it intentionally pushes the humor, which I definitely think we need more of in Muslim centered books.

Back to the story, Noor starts by asking her sister, the coolest hijabi she knows, if she wears it to hide her snacks in, or hide her big ears, but Affa brushes her off with a, "not now, Noor" and she is off to the next family member to ask. Just as Noor is ready to give up on her quest, her Ammu arrives home and knows just the thing to say. Born and raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne and currently residing in Birmingham, Farhana Islam is a Primary School Teacher with a passion for telling stories and empowering diverse voices.The biggest question on her mind is why her Ammu (mum) and the other women in her family wear a hijab (headscarf). A flowery sentiment, but little Noor and the reader never got the answer as to why Muslim women wear hijab, and I think that it is unfortunate. The illustrations are cute, the character designs are great, and I'm really excited for kids to be able to feel represented by the media they consume.