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Summary
Summary
From a crescent moon to a square garden to an octagonal fountain, this breathtaking picture book celebrates the shapes - and traditions - of the Muslim world. Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets is equally at home in a classroom reading circle and on a parent's lap being read to a child.
Author Notes
Hena Khan is the author of Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors ; Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story ; Amina's Voice ; It's Ramadan, Curious George ; and other books for children. Hena is a native of Rockville, Maryland, where she lives with her husband and their two sons. You can learn more about her at www.henakhan.com or follow her at @henakhanbooks.
Mehrdokht Amini is the illustrator of Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors , Chicken in the Kitchen , Yo Soy Muslim , and other books for children. For Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets , she was inspired by the idea of bringing classical elements of Islamic art into a modern setting. She grew up in Iran and now lives in Surrey, England.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-A follow-up to Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors, by the same team, this appealing and well-designed picture book has great potential for cross-curricular use. Khan blends geometry terms (arch, hexagon, cone) and vocabulary about Islam in gentle couplets rich with sensory detail. Amini's vividly colored spreads use patterns and architectural elements from classical Islamic art, enlivened with whimsical additions, such as a tabby cat that appears on several pages. Although Amini's style is painterly overall, subtle photographic elements add dimensionality and specificity to clothing, meals, and setting, all of which shift at each turn of the page to depict different countries. A multiracial cast, large eyed and expressive in gesture, engages in ritual acts including washing before prayers (wudu), using a drum (daff) in celebration, and reading an ayah (verse) of the Quran. Khan's accessible text is lyrical ("square is a garden with sweet orange trees, a hint of jannah on its fragrant breeze") but simple enough for younger readers. A glossary gives clear definitions of the Arabic terms (although not the geometry words) and an author's note explains why shapes and patterns are so important in Muslim artistic traditions. VERDICT This affirming child's-eye view of Islamic religious practices will be a strong addition to most collections.-Miriam DesHarnais, Towson University, MD © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Geometric shapes are compared, in simple rhyming stanzas, to shapes found in traditional Islamic architecture, art, and rituals. Minarets are cone-shaped, the Ka'aba is a cube, and so on. Mixed-media illustrations are ornate and richly colored; depicting a different country on each spread, the pictures showcase the ethnic diversity within Islam yet focus on traditional (and sometimes archaic) attire. An author's note is appended. Glos. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A beautiful picture book simultaneously explores shapes, Islam, and the cultures of the Muslim people.Ranging from simple (circle, rectangle, triangle, oval, diamond) to more advanced (cone, cube, hexagon, octagon, arch, crescent), various shapes introduce an object, architectural form, or concept related to Islamic faith or cultural practices. "Cube is the Ka'aba, / a most sacred site, / where Muslims worship / each day and night." The daff (a type of drum) is a circle; the minaret is a cone; an ayah, defined as "a verse of the holy Quran" in the glossary, is printed on a hexagonal tile, and diamonds adorn a new kaftan for Eid, "an Islamic holiday." Illustrations are elaborately adorned and ornamented, a characteristic of Islamic art, and depict Muslims of many races and ethnicities. However, Muslims dressed in noncultural clothes are largely (though not entirely) missing from illustrations, potentially reinforcing a stereotypical image for non-Muslims. This is partially remedied by the author's note that each spread represents a different country, but without a key or labels, it is difficult to discern which ones these are. The book successfully covers a wide array of concepts, cultures, and shapes, but Islam's vastness, rightly celebrated here, means that some choices in spelling ("mimbar" vs. "minbar"; "Ka'aba" vs. "Ka'ba" or "Ka'bah"), definition ("iftar" is not necessarily a "light" meal), and illustrative detail (the kaftan is not belted) may throw readers accustomed to other practices.A good accompaniment to the duo's Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, which featured a Western Muslim family (2012), in a collection of children's books with an Islamic theme. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* As the author's note points out, images of God are prohibited and those of human or animal forms are discouraged in Islamic art, so architecture often incorporates geometric shapes and motifs. This introduction to that concept uses words (which will be unfamiliar to some readers or are in Arabic) juxtaposed against bold artwork depicting what the words describe. For instance, the first simple couplet notes, Cone is the tip / of the minaret so tall. / I hear soft echoes / of the prayer call. Dynamically designed conical tops appear on several minarets on the facing page. Each subsequent spread offers an example of a shape and how it can be used in an object that aids a religious pursuit. An octagonal fountain's water is used to make my wudu. The explanation a ritual washing of various body parts is given in the glossary, where at least one word from each spread is defined. Those already familiar with Islam will respond immediately to the material, while others will be intrigued enough to learn more. Amini, who illustrated Yo Soy Muslim (2017), once again offers eye-popping mixed-media illustrations. The design work is exquisite, but equally inviting is the array of people representing Muslims from around the world. A thoughtful, multilayered offering.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2018 Booklist
