Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors

by Hena Khan, Mehrdokht Amini (Illustrator)

Overview

Magnificently capturing the colorful world of Islam for the youngest readers, this breathtaking and informative picture book celebrates Islam's beauty and traditions. From a red prayer rug to a blue hijab, everyday colors are given special meaning as young readers learn about clothing, food, and other important elements of Islamic culture, with a young Muslim girl as a guide. Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns is equally at home in a classroom reading circle as it is being read to a child on a parent's lap. Plus, this version includes audio and a read-along setting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452122052
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	07/20/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Hena Khan's first picture book, Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story, was a 2009 Booklist "Top 10 Religion Book for Youth". She lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband and sons.
Mehrdokht Amini has illustrated 11 books for children. She grew up in Iran and now lives in Surrey, England.

Editorial Reviews

In this picture book, Khan (Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story) immerses young readers in “deen”—the Muslim way of life. Each spread portrays a Muslim custom, clothing style, or religious tenet and links it to a color used throughout the scene. “Red is the rug Dad kneels on to pray” exemplifies the accessible mix of tradition (prayer rugs) and modernity (colloquial English) the author uses throughout the book. The emphases are both the particulars of Islam and the universal concerns of all caring societies and religions—devotion; helping the poor through “zakat,” or money for charity; exchanging gifts at the holiday of Eid. Amini’s (The Faerie Door) illustrations apply lush and muted jewel tones to images and scenes from domestic and religious life in a contemporary Muslim culture. Scenes of street life and home life hold architectural detail and textile patterns and attract second and third looks. Arabic terms are woven into the text, some explained directly, some by context, making the book suitable for children of all faiths. A glossary provides additional information. Ages 3–7. (June)

Publishers Weekly

This gentle introduction to Muslim practices, dwelling on behaviors more than the extended teachings behind them, is a must for the very young.”-School Library Journal

From the Publisher

03/25/2022

Toddler-PreS—A first introduction to Muslim practices for the very young, brought to life by pairing each one with a color. Prayer practices, clothing worn, food eaten, religious book reading, and more are presented with a few rhyming words: "Red is the rug Dad kneels on to pray, facing toward Mecca five times a day." Vibrant colors of the luscious blue of a hijab and gold of a dome are followed by many other instructive objects similarly focused on a color. Khan keeps the information spare, and it may raise more questions for discussion, but the back matter offers further explanation to help enlighten those old enough to process the concepts. VERDICT This gentle introduction to Muslim practices, dwelling on behaviors more than the extended teachings behind them, is a must for the very young.—Nancy Call

School Library Journal

A sophisticated color-concept book featuring a contemporary family introduces Islam to young Muslims and children who don't practice this faith. Here the basic colors, plus gold and silver, are used to explain aspects of Islamic life. A young girl with very large eyes narrates, using short, childlike and occasionally forced verses to match colors and objects: "Gold is the dome of the mosque, / big and grand. / Beside it two towering / minarets stand." She describes a red prayer rug, her mom's blue hijab (headscarf), white kufis (traditional men's woven hats), black ink for a calligraphic design, brown dates for Ramadan, orange henna designs, an Eid gift of a doll with a purple dress, a yellow zakat (charity) box, a green Quran (green has special significance in Islam, not explained here), and a silver fanoos, "a shiny lantern." The glossary is excellent, explaining unfamiliar terms succinctly. The stylized illustrations, richly detailed, often play with the sizes of the objects in a surrealistic way. It is difficult to tell whether the family lives in the Middle East, Britain (home of the artist) or North America. The secular architecture looks Western, but the mosque looks very grand and Middle Eastern. The clothing styles are difficult to associate with a particular country. This both maximizes accessibility and deprives the tale of specificity--clearly a conscious trade-off. A vibrant exploratory presentation that should be supplemented with other books. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews