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kemendraugh's review against another edition
5.0
When I ordered this book, I hoped it would be a good addition to our kids' collection and add in some multiculturalism and a viewpoint on another religion.
Oh, it did. It did those things. But I had no idea it would do those things so Perfectly.
A beautiful book in word, art, and tone. Go read it now.
Oh, it did. It did those things. But I had no idea it would do those things so Perfectly.
A beautiful book in word, art, and tone. Go read it now.
snazel's review against another edition
5.0
A picture book is essentially a poem, and like a poem it can wring you like a cloth in a matter of seconds. This one is a beautiful story of a little girl who wants to grow up and wear a head covering like her mum (and sister and grandma and aunts) and her mum's insistence that she isn't ready until she understand what it's about. Faith.
I'm gonna be purchasing this one for my library. It's fantastic.
I'm gonna be purchasing this one for my library. It's fantastic.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful story that explains the tradition of the Muslims' traditional dress for women, the malafa. Use this book to inference the meaning of new words (traditional Hassaniya words) and look for patterns that the author used to describe the beautiful dress. The author included a great note that gives the reader additional information about the dress.
heisereads's review against another edition
4.0
Pair with Under My Hijab, The Proudest Blue, Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets...
beththebookdragon's review
4.0
Delightful story explaining the many reasons a girl in an African Muslim culture might want to wear a malafa, the all-body covering a woman wears in her culture. No preachiness, just delightfully colorful illustrations of people of differing skin tones, ages, and of course fabrics. And I love that this is not a 'generic' country but Mauritania, which the author visited. The illustrator herself is from Iran, but wears her own culture's veil and so understands.
Good for helping children--and older readers--grasp the beauty and subtleties of this aspect of culture, but more importantly, a story of a little girl's thoughts and inner growth told in beautiful imagery and images.
Good for helping children--and older readers--grasp the beauty and subtleties of this aspect of culture, but more importantly, a story of a little girl's thoughts and inner growth told in beautiful imagery and images.
backonthealex's review
4.0
Lalla wants to wear a malafa, just like all the girls and women in her Mauritania, West African village. She says would like to wear a malafa so she can be beautiful like her mother, but her mother tells her that a malafa is for more than just beauty.
Lalla's sister looks mysterious in her malafa, but she tells Lalla that a malafa is for more than just mystery.
When she tells cousin Aisha she would like to wear a colorful malafa to be a lady, again she is told that a malafa is for more than just being a lady.
And Grandmother tells her a malafa is for more than just tradition, when Lalla approaches her.
When Lalla looks around her and sees the men going to pray in mosques, and the women praying in quiet places, she tells her mother that she wants to wear a malafa so she can pray just like her mother. To her surprise, her mother brings out a beautiful blue malafa and wraps Lalla in it, just like all the girls and women in the village wear theirs.
Slowly, mother and daughter ascend the stairs and Lalla tells her mother that she knows was a malafa is for - it is for faith.
Deep in the Sahara is a lovely story about a young girl (and young readers) learning to understand and appreciate this very important aspect of her Muslim religion. In her Author's Note, Kelly Cunnane writes that before she went to live in Mauritainia, she had viewed wearing the veil as repressive, an idea that I think many non-Muslims have. But she said, once there she realized that it was a positive expression of Islam and she changed her way of thinking about wearing a malafa. This book is an expression of what Cunnane discovered. It certainly reflects the colorful, confident ease with which the women wear their malafas, but shows the importance of understanding just why a girl would chose to do so.
The lovely, colorful college illustrations by Hoda Hadadi, an Iranian artist, adds so much in showing the reader a strong, supportive community and close family relationships that exist in this part of the world. I particularly like the was she showed the different ways women might express themselves in the color and pattern choices of their malafas.
Be sure to read the Author's Note and look at the small glossary of Arabic words used throughout the story. This is a book that will go far in increasing our understanding of the Islamic religion.
This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
Lalla's sister looks mysterious in her malafa, but she tells Lalla that a malafa is for more than just mystery.
When she tells cousin Aisha she would like to wear a colorful malafa to be a lady, again she is told that a malafa is for more than just being a lady.
And Grandmother tells her a malafa is for more than just tradition, when Lalla approaches her.
When Lalla looks around her and sees the men going to pray in mosques, and the women praying in quiet places, she tells her mother that she wants to wear a malafa so she can pray just like her mother. To her surprise, her mother brings out a beautiful blue malafa and wraps Lalla in it, just like all the girls and women in the village wear theirs.
Slowly, mother and daughter ascend the stairs and Lalla tells her mother that she knows was a malafa is for - it is for faith.
Deep in the Sahara is a lovely story about a young girl (and young readers) learning to understand and appreciate this very important aspect of her Muslim religion. In her Author's Note, Kelly Cunnane writes that before she went to live in Mauritainia, she had viewed wearing the veil as repressive, an idea that I think many non-Muslims have. But she said, once there she realized that it was a positive expression of Islam and she changed her way of thinking about wearing a malafa. This book is an expression of what Cunnane discovered. It certainly reflects the colorful, confident ease with which the women wear their malafas, but shows the importance of understanding just why a girl would chose to do so.
The lovely, colorful college illustrations by Hoda Hadadi, an Iranian artist, adds so much in showing the reader a strong, supportive community and close family relationships that exist in this part of the world. I particularly like the was she showed the different ways women might express themselves in the color and pattern choices of their malafas.
Be sure to read the Author's Note and look at the small glossary of Arabic words used throughout the story. This is a book that will go far in increasing our understanding of the Islamic religion.
This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
nakiacookauthor's review
5.0
What a sweet introduction to faith. This book is rich in colour and language; a welcome addition to our homeschool.
dgrachel's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
This is a beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the story of a young girl who learns the many purposes of the malafa, a traditional covering worn by Muslim women in Mauritania. It’s a sweet story with lovely artwork.
middle_name_joy's review
4.0
All Lalla wants is to wear a malafa like her mother, older sister, and other women in her Saharan village. The malafa is a headdress, worn by girls starting as young as nine, as a practice of Islam in Mauritania, West Africa. While the headdress is full-length and often made of beautiful fabrics, provides mystery and protection from harsh winds in the desert, and is part of a centuries-long tradition, Lalla learns te malafa is also a source of belonging and a show of faith.
I knew very little about the Muslims in this area of the world, and I enjoyed the author's note at the end as much as the story itself. The illustrations were extremely respectful, honoring the faith and its practices and people without becoming a cartoon. Nicely done.
I knew very little about the Muslims in this area of the world, and I enjoyed the author's note at the end as much as the story itself. The illustrations were extremely respectful, honoring the faith and its practices and people without becoming a cartoon. Nicely done.
katiegrrrl's review
5.0
Young Lalla wants to wear a malafa, a covering some Muslim women wear in Mautitania to cover themselves when they go out in public. Lalla thinks the malafa is beautiful, mysterious, to look like a long ago queen,to belong like the older girls and women. It isn't until Lalla realizes the most important reason for a malafa that she is given one.
The colors are amazing in this book, so bright and vibrant. Deep in the Sahara is a beautiful coming of age story for a young girl to understand the importance of the colorful malafa that all the women around her wear and it's significance to their faith.
This is a wonderful book for introducing why Muslim women cover themselves and gives respect to them for making the choice.
The colors are amazing in this book, so bright and vibrant. Deep in the Sahara is a beautiful coming of age story for a young girl to understand the importance of the colorful malafa that all the women around her wear and it's significance to their faith.
This is a wonderful book for introducing why Muslim women cover themselves and gives respect to them for making the choice.