"The Proudest Blue"

Written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali

Illustrated by Hatem Aly 

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Grades: Kindergarten to 4th   

Ages: 5-10       

(A book for all ages!!)

Summary: 

Asiya a soon to be 6th grader has decided to put on the hijab for the first time. She goes back-to-school shopping with her mother and little sister to pick out the best hijab for the first day of school. At the store she finds the perfect hijab, "the brightest blue"; the perfect "first-day of school hijab". Her little sister, Faizah and Asiya walk to school and go their separate ways. Faizah is questioned by one of her classmates about what her sister has on her head, to which she answers, "A hijab". Being questioned about her sister makes her go over to her sister to see how she is doing with her classmates and for a hug. When talking to her sister Asiya a boy points over to Asiya and says, "Why". The taunting makes Faizah think of what a hijab is, not a laugh but strength. While cartwheeling at lunch Faizah stops near a boy who was yelling, " I'm going to pull that tablecloth off your head!". Asiya and Faizah simply turn away and run away with their friends. The sisters carry their Mama's words with them, "Don't carry around the hurtful words that others say. Drop them. They are not yours to keep. They belong only to those who said them". At the end of the story Faizah remains cautious and looks for the taunts and whispers of others but only finds Asiya waiting for her smiling and strong. 

Element 5: Awareness Raising   

This book tackles the issue many hijabis face world-wide no matter what age they may be. There is always one person who addresses a hijab as a tablecloth and threatens to rip it off of one's head.  It raises the question of what one should do when bullied for an article of clothing that they wear. The social justice element of Awareness Raising is most prevalent. This story broaches the topic of hijab in a way to take away the strangeness or fear one may have and shows compassion and beauty of hijab. The character Asiya who is wearing the hijab acts with grace instead of anger when faced with the opposition against her hijab. She enlightened her sister about how to face bullies and how to react to such a situation in the real world. This book also raises the awareness of what the hijab represents as well. It is a piece of someone's identity as Mama says in the story, "But if you understand who you are, one day they will too".     

Activities:

After reading this book to the class, a class discussion can be had about what is a hijab? Questions to ask the class can also include have you ever been bulled and what is bullying. Students can also be told to describe how the sisters Asiya and Faizah respond to major events and challenges within the story. For grades 3rd and 4th the students can make a graphic organizer to detail the various traits of Asiya and Faizah. All grades can also decorate a scarf of their own.   

The Proudest Blue read by the author Ibtihaj Muhammad:

Check out the rest of the trilogy: