Journey of the Midnight Sun

by Shazia Afzal, Aliya Ghare (Illustrator)

Overview

This is the true story of the journey of the Midnight Sun Mosque.

In 2010 a Winnipeg-based charity raised funds to build and ship a mosque to Inuvik, one of the most northern towns in Canada’s Arctic. A small but growing Muslim community there had been using a cramped trailer for their services, but there just wasn't enough space. The mosque travelled over 4,000 kilometers on a journey fraught with poor weather, incomplete bridges, narrow roads, low traffic wires and a deadline to get on the last barge heading up the Mackenzie River before the first winter freeze. But it made it just in time and is now one of the most northern mosques in the world.

This beautiful picture book reminds us that the collective dream of fostering a multicultural and tolerant Canada exists and that people of all backgrounds will come together to build bridges and overcome obstacles for the greater good of their neighbors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459827608
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.75(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.38(d)
Lexile:	AD840L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Shazia Afzal has been a teacher and storyteller for over twenty years. Having immigrated to Canada in 2002, Shazia sought to live near her community mosque with every move. Because of her firsthand understanding of the challenges Muslim families face in new communities, the incredible story behind the construction and transportation of the Midnight Sun Mosque resonated with Shazia. She felt compelled to share the story with children who may not have heard of its epic adventure and to remind young readers that it is a blessing to live in a country where people are free to practice their faith. Shazia lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

Aliya Ghare graduated from OCAD University, where she majored in illustration and minored in English, with the hope of combining the two disciplines to write and illustrate children’s picture books and graphic novels. She enjoys creating visually rich and poetic imagery, and exploring social and political issues, as well as human interest subjects, in her work. In addition to illustrating picture books, her illustrative works range from editorial to advertising, surface design and more. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration and Adobe, and has been awarded by and published in the Applied Arts and 3x3 magazines. Aliya lives in Toronto.

What People are Saying About This

Hend Hegazi

“A lovely recounting of how the Inuvik people received their first mosque. Afzal portrays this important historical event in a way which highlights community togetherness and human kindness. A treat for all children, teaching them that the seemingly impossible can sometimes be accomplished with some good-heartedness and a bit of teamwork.”

Rukhsana Khan

“I LOVED the book! It’s delightful! Love the illustrations. Love the way you handled the story. Masha Allah tabarakullah feeq!”

Katherine Bullock

“Shazia celebrates the multicultural effort of the people who worked hard to get the mosque to its destination. Aliya's images brings such diversity to life through her colour and costuming of the people involved. Congratulations to Shazia and Aliya for telling us the awesome journey of the Midnight Sun Mosque in such a charming way."

Editorial Reviews

Reading and learning about the great lengths that one community went to in order to support another demonstrates how stories connect us to ourselves, our families, and our communities and how we share our world in the context of English Language Arts for kindergarten to grade two.”

BC Books for Schools

An uplifting, effectively delivered account of acceptance, support, and solidarity.

Booklist

A muted palette and clean art style accompany the straightforward narrative of a great feat of cooperation and community support.

Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Shows how people from different cultures and religions came together to complete a project that helped a community feel welcomed and loved. Highly Recommended.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

It is a sweet instance of real life being harder to believe than fiction. It warms your heart and reminds you that there are so many good people doing selfless things for the benefit of others, every single day, subhanAllah.

Islamic School Librarian

Ghare's scenic, digital illustrations do the heavy lifting in this intriguing story narrated in straightforward, spare text… A simple, celebratory story of community collaboration and religious tolerance.

Kirkus Reviews

Many emotions are shown in the clear and colorful illustrations that follow the mosque...The story is a testament to the good will and support that reflect on 'helpers' - people who make our world a much better place.

Sal's Fiction Addiction

Striking, and the spreads convey just how massive an undertaking this was…It’s epic, and an example of strong faith and community.

School Library Journal (SLJ)

A muted palette and clean art style accompany the straightforward narrative of a great feat of cooperation and community support.

Cooperative Children's Book Center

Shazia celebrates the multicultural effort of the people who worked hard to get the mosque to its destination. Aliya's images brings such diversity to life through her colour and costuming of the people involved. Congratulations to Shazia and Aliya for telling us the awesome journey of the Midnight Sun Mosque in such a charming way."

Katherine Bullock

A lovely recounting of how the Inuvik people received their first mosque. Afzal portrays this important historical event in a way which highlights community togetherness and human kindness. A treat for all children, teaching them that the seemingly impossible can sometimes be accomplished with some good-heartedness and a bit of teamwork.

Hend Hegazi

I LOVED the book! It’s delightful! Love the illustrations. Love the way you handled the story. Masha Allah tabarakullah feeq!

Rukhsana Khan

2021-12-16
In Inuvik, a town 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, a makeshift trailer mosque is no longer adequate for the growing Muslim community.

The cost of building “a bigger one so far north” is prohibitive, so the Winnipeg-based Zubaidah Tallab Foundation steps in to help. Based on a true story, this picture book describes the remarkable project, from fundraising and building the mosque in Winnipeg to transporting it to Inuvik more than 4,000 kilometers away. The mosque’s long-distance journey is fraught with perils and challenges that require the efforts of many people to overcome. Road signs and power lines have to be moved to accommodate the oversized semitrailer conveying The Midnight Sun Mosque over back roads and country highways as it struggles to make it to the last Hay River barge crossing of the season before the winter freeze. Ghare's scenic, digital illustrations do the heavy lifting in this intriguing story narrated in straightforward, spare text. The artwork depicts racially and ethnically diverse communities of Muslims and non-Muslims in both locales. Roman Catholic clerics and Gwich'in First Nations elders are present at the official opening of the new mosque. A short introduction and author's note provide additional details for consideration and discussion.

A simple, celebratory story of community collaboration and religious tolerance. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews