Brief Description: Picture book biography of the life of the Prophet Muhammad.
Geographical Setting: Arabian Peninsula, Asia, Mecca, Medina, Middle East, Mount Hira, Saudi Arabia
Historical Era: Middle Ages
Date Range: 570-632
Keywords: Abu Bakr, Battle of Badr, Battle of the Trench, Five Pillars of Islam, Hadith, Islam, Kabah, Koran, Muhammad, Persian miniature painting, Quraysh Tribe, Sunnah
Original Publication: 2003
Suitable for Grades: 3-8th
Target Audience: Chapter Book, Middle Grade
Librarian's Review
This book fills a void in the English language publishing world, for rare are children’s books about Islam. There is so much to enjoy in this picture book biography of the Prophet Muhammad, from the beautiful illustrations by the author in the style of Persian miniatures to the concise informative text. The author respectfully guides her readers through Muhammad’s childhood in Mecca, his life-changing encounter with the Angel Gabriel, and his efforts to deliver god’s message. She also reveals some of the beliefs of Muslims based on Muhammad’s teachings and practices, such as the Five Pillars and the Sunnah, as collected in the Koran and the Hadith.
Other educational materials in the book are a foreword by Laleh Bakhtiar, an expert on Sufism, in which she explains the convention of not depicting Muhammad in illustration, and offers a very brief explanation of Islam. Back matter includes a map of the Arabian Peninsula, another very brief explanation of some Muslim beliefs and a bibliography, which seems to consist of books for adults (no doubt due to the lack of books on this topic for children).