Every Day is Earth Day - Part I | We Love Our Earth

I just realised today is Earth Day.

So I thought why not we celebrate Earth Day this week by sharing some green reads - books with environmental values - from our bookshelf with the children.  A way to inculcate good habits in loving our Earth - our temporary living place before returning to Allah. May our final and eternal abode be a place of serenity and happiness;

"And We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him - those are the party of Allah. Unquestionably, the party of Allah - they are the successful."
~[Qur'an, 58:22]

Allah has entrusted this beautiful Earth to us. I pray one day when we leave this world we're able to stand in front of Allah knowing we - and our children - have done our best to be his truthful servant and take care of our temporary abode, ameen.

“Eat and drink from the provision of Allah, and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption."
~ [Qur'an, 2:60]

It is Allah who made for you the earth a place of settlement and the sky a ceiling and formed you and perfected your forms and provided you with good things. That is Allah, your Lord; then blessed is Allah , Lord of the worlds."
~[Qur'an, 40:64]

I hope we can follow the sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam, the best man ever walked on this earth. He always cared for the trees, animals and the environment -  setting beautiful examples for us to emulate his green deeds. Indeed, he was a true environmentalist.

Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said,

"If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift (sadaqah) for him." (Bukhari)

The best way to instil the green values to our children is we ourselves need to set good examples to them - we walk the talk. This is very much a big, big reminder to myself!

In addition to it, I do think books are the best way to inspire our little ones to care for Allah's creations.

Just the other day I was reading to Adik, my five year old girl, her favourite bedtime storybook titled 'Little Turtle Messenger'.

I think I was just about to flip to the second page when she started to interrupt me,

"Do not eat turtle eggs. And you know what Mommy? Turtles eat jelly fish and sometime they eat plastic bags because they thought they were jelly fish! They can die eating plastic bags. So we cannot throw plastic bags into the water (sea)."

She blurted them out with quite a firm voice. Masha Allah!

That night somehow was a reminder to me of how books can impart values to our children. Books truly can give strong effect in the mind of - even - a little reader. It is very  crucial for us to introduce and share books that have good values to them. And without a doubt, good books enhance their intelligence.

What I also learnt that night was green books taught children to have empathy towards trees and animals.

So now let's begin our Earth Day books sharing and at the same time instil lots, and lots of love for our environment!


Islamic Children's Picture Books

Maryam and the Trees by Rowaa El-Magazy, Illustrated by Terry Norridge
This book is among my first collection of Islamic Children's Picture Books.  I bought this at Kinokuniya book store. Kakak, my eldest was still small at the time, but I thought this was rare and I did not want to miss this lovely book. Masha Allah this book has been a gem in our collection since!
We have been reading this from time to time, and once in a while I read it to my children for our bedtime story.
The texts are pretty long (for my five year old girl she likes it still), yet very engaging. A wonderful story to inculcate the love for one of Allah's beautiful creations i.e. the trees. In the story, Maryam and her brother Abdullah discovered why trees are important to us, and they learned it from both their parents and grandparents. Just heart-warming! You will love the family, in shaa Allah. This book is published by The Islamic Foundation.
*Recommended age by publisher : 7-10

How Big is Allah by Emma Apple
Our favourite! I wrote a review about this book here. 'How Big is Allah' helps children to understand Allah's creations, from the smallest up till the biggest creation we could imagine, through beautiful illustrations and simple texts.  It's wonderful to finally discover Islamic (non-fiction) storybook such as this that celebrates children's curiosity and imagination. A captivating picture book to introduce little ones to the world we live in today and its relation to the whole big universe - putting things into perspective for the children. What I love most about the book is it helps to open doors for parents to explain the greatness of Allah, the One and Only Creator of everything that exists, and eventually instil the awe and love for our Creator. I highly recommend this book!
*Both my daughters aged 5 and 9 love this book

Zayd and the Special Garden by Aneesa Omar, Illustrarted by Gurmeet
I love reading this book during our bedtime story to my girls.  The ideas in the book are brilliant, and in fact easily applicable both for parents and teachers. One fine day, Zayd's teacher Muallima Fatima suggested to the class to plant vegetables that are mentioned in the Quran in their school. One student suggested to plant other plants too e.g. herbs and fruits. Zayd further suggested that they donate the harvests to the poor. Soon after, their wonderful journey began!
This is a lovely story to introduce children to the plants mentioned in the Quran. And such a wonderful picture book to help parents instil the love and appreciation for trees to their children. What makes this book more meaningful is seeing the children's excitement when they share and give what they have worked for to those in need. I think their beautiful deeds are contagious!
*My 5 year old daughter thinks it's a very good book

Hilmy the Hippo by Rae Norridge, Illustrated by Terry Norridge - Austen
If you have been reading classic fables such as Aesop's to your children, this is a book you do not want to miss reading to them. A delightful tale of wisdom that would appeal to the little ones. Hilmy the Hippo is curios to find out why animals are so different from each other, thus begins his journey to seek for an answer.  He finally meets the wise, old Terrapin and learns some beautiful lessons.  On his way back Hilmy faces some obstacles yet he remains strong, knowing he has Allah to rely upon.
I love reading this book to my girls during our bedtime story.  Though I think some of the wisdom in this book is something pretty deep - or perhaps the texts (English is a second language in our house) are a little bit heavy - for my five year old girl to grasp, the thought that their brains are like sponge at this stage of their life to just absorb anything motivates me to read this book to her during bedtime. I somehow believe the wisdom is safely kept inside her brain to be used later, just like how Hilmy applied his new learned wisdom to brave difficult challenges, and understand things around him better.
*Recommended age by publisher : 0-5.  

Life Begins: Quran Stories for Little Hearts by Saniyasnain, Illustrated by Achal K. Anand
A lovely little book you can share with your little ones especially during bedtime, introducing them to our Creator and His creations. I read this to my girl when she wass still a little baby.  A baby as young as 3 months old would be delighted and fascinated looking at the beautiful illustrations - the sun, mountains, stars, clouds, planets and many more. At the same time parents get to introduce them to Allah and how magnificent is Him creating all the thing that exists - creating them from nothing. Allah just have to say it and it will be. Up till now I still read this book to my now five year old girl. Definitely our all-time favourite picture book!
*Enjoyable read from as young as baby up till 7 years old

The Du'a of Faizah by Umm AN-Nu'man, Illustrated by Umm Hanifah
This is a story about a very sweet girl who gets so inspired by her father to finally grow her own flower plant. Her father is an avid gardener who works at a gardening shop and during weekend he tends to his own garden at home. Faizah loves his garden, and her father teaches her how to be gentle with the flowers. One day she decides to grow a flower plant all by herself. So her father reminds her that growing a flower is a serious thing for she must takes responsibility of taking care of her plant.  She promises she will. Then begins a delightful and exciting journey of Faizah.  It is not an easy journey for her - growing a flower plant - but along the way she learns a very important lesson - of relying to Allah and the beauty of dua. This book would be a beautiful gift and a lovely inspiration for any little girl - or boy too. A wonderful motivation for them to care for the plants, and especially teaching them to rely on Allah.
*Recommended age by publisher : 5+


Thank you so much Elizabeth Lymer for her Earth Day books article - masha Allah jazakillah sis! Her sharing motivates me to share books from our own shelf too, alhamdulillah.

There are so many books we can share with our children and I hope to share more with you in the next Part II [book from local authors] and Part III [other heart-warming titles] of this article.

In the mean time here below are other titles of Islamic children's books - not at our disposal yet but we hope to get them one day in shaa Allah - that I think would be a good read to encourage our children to care and love for our Earth.

See you again on Part II of this article, in shaa Allah

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We Love Home-Based Children's Bookstore!

I had been hunting for Islamic children's books - particularly picture books - for my children and it had been a fun task to do especially when I finally got to purchase them.

Masha Allah I was delighted every time I stumbled upon new books! Well who would not if you are a big fan of children's picture books!

The thing was some of the very good books were only available online - mostly on Amazon. I was not so keen on buying on-line, if it's an overseas' purchase.

I remember I had to hold my excitement - despite how bad I wanted to touch and feel the books - when I discovered 'Ilyas and Duck' and some other titles, knowing I was not going to buy them through Amazon.

I was a bit disappointed actually, for it seemed the books were not available in Malaysia - yet. Or perhaps I did not looked hard enough.

So, I continued doing what I did best; buying Islamic children's titles at the local bookshops. My two favourites are MPH and Dakwah Corner Bookstore.  They have lots of choices when it comes to Islamic children's books, both in Malay and English.

To make the story short, one fine day I was so delighted when I stumbled upon a home-based children's book store on Instagram - probably some time end of last year. I was jumping for joy when I found out she is especially focusing on selling Islamic children's books.

The best part was she had the books I long yearned to get for my girls! So I started contacted her to inquire more. She was helpful and attentive to my inquiries.

I finally bought my first purchase, and alhamdulillah I was a happy mother!

That's what I love about home-based children's bookstore.  You get personal consultation from them and buying online from their stores is a breeze!

While Amazon takes a long time to deliver my purchase - for the source is pretty far away - it takes only a few days (or shorter than that) for my books to arrive if I buy from a local home-based bookstore.

Another advantage of buying from home-based store is I also get heads up on new books and lots of helpful tips!

Hunting good books for my children has become so easy now, alhamdulillah.

Another reasons why I love buying from home-based stores is I can trust their selections. Most of them are mothers like me and are very keen on choosing only good books for their children.

The lovely part is  I also get to make friends with them - sharing the same interest especially on Islamic children's literature.

While buying books from the physical book stores give us the room to go through the books before buying them, the home-based book stores give us their reviews on the books they sell.

I truly appreciate home-based book stores on this matter because they put their efforts to personally select their favourites and share their thoughts and reviews on the books they have.

And do you know that some - if not most - of the books they sell are rarely available in the popular book stores?

Some of these home-based Islamic children's book stores really go to the extra miles to search for good Islamic children's titles  by getting in touch with the authors personally, supporting their works.

So here I thought of sharing some of the home-based Islamic children's book stores I have discovered, especially  through Instagram. I have been their followers since, and love what they are doing for making it easier for us to hunt for good Islamic children's books.

Let's start from beloved country, Malaysia first;


The one I first discovered and love it!

WEBSITE         : http://www.byummwaliyya.com/

INSTAGRAM  : https://instagram.com/byummwaliyya/

FACEBOOK    : https://www.facebook.com/byummwaliyya

WEBSITE        :

INSTAGRAM  : https://instagram.com/littleaaesyabookshop

FACEBOOK    : https://www.facebook.com/littleaaesyabookshop

WEBSITE           :  http://www.haneeqhouse.com/

INSTAGRAM     : https://instagram.com/nikesma

FACEBOOK       : https://www.facebook.com/haneeq
                                                     
                                                       

WEBSITE           :

INSTAGRAM    : https://instagram.com/khadijareads

FACEBOOK      : https://www.facebook.com/khadijareads

And if you are in Singapore, check this out - she does deliver to Malaysia if I am not mistaken and some of the titles she has are the ones I could not find in Malaysia;

WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM    : https://instagram.com/happyprayerplace

FACEBOOK      : https://www.facebook.com/happyprayerplace







And especially to friends and family who are in Australia you must check this out - she reviews lots and lots of Islamic chldren's titles on her website;

WEBSITE         :  http://www.readlittlemuslims.com/

INSTAGRAM   : https://instagram.com/readlittlemuslims

FACEBOOK     :  https://www.facebook.com/READLittleMuslims



If you know some other home-based children's bookstores, do share them too. I hope I can share home-based stores in other countries too, especially where lots of Malaysians reside.


Till next post, take care!


May Allah bless.

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Bedtime story at the park? | Mommy, remind me of Allah

What happen when we bring our (new) favourite bedtime story to the park?

It was a little awkward at the beginning (I think the last time we had this Kakak was still very little, and not that we did this often),  but once the girls got hooked to the book, voilà! They can't wait to exchange books to read more!  What a beautiful way to start our fun time at the park :)

Adik wanted to follow, but she had school.

I promise we'll do this again, in shaa Allah. And next time we'll bring picnic mat, snugly pillows, throw blankets and of course food + drinks.  I can imagine how cosy it will be!

Picnic + books + play can never go wrong, don't you think?

On another note, I have fallen in love with our new children's books by Emma Apple. When I first discovered about them, I just couldn't wait to read the books and share them with my children. A lot of questions came in my mind. How did she answer those questions usually asked by children? I was so intrigued to find out, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

And finally her books arrived.

And guess what?  Masha Allah long I have been looking for Islamic children's books such as hers!

"This book is awesome!" 

The words came out from Kakak - my eldest - when she read it for the first time. I could not wait to share the books with her I brought them along when we fetched Kakak from school. Immediately her nose was already inside Emma's books!

Yes, I couldn't agree more with my eldest.  Emma's 'How Big is Allah' and 'How Does Allah Look' celebrate children's curiosity and imagination. Children's minds are always in constant inquiry. They are always in thirst to find out the 'why' and 'how' of so many things, and some of them are very challenging to answer by us parents.   

Questions such as how big is Allah and how does Allah look would put parents in tough situations especially if we do not equip ourselves well. 

Certain things are beyond our very limited knowledge, but we could not avoid the questions or simply tell them of our limitations.  Doing so would actually undermine their inquisitive mind. They need some explanations and understanding to actually come to the point that humans have limitations.  

Allah's knowledge is far beyond the imagination of human minds. Science has proven it - we know too very little. Our brains are amazing and we have achieved so many with our minds.  Yet they are limited too at the same time.  No matter how hard we try, we will never ever truly understand the Rules and Orders of Allah. Not without His permission. Allah said in the Quran [6 : 59] ,

“And with Him (Allah) are the Keys of the Unseen. No one knows them (the Secrets of the Unseen) except for Him (Allah). And He (Allah) knows all that is on the land and all that is in the seas and there is not even a single leaf that falls except that He has full knowledge of it and there is also not a single dry thing that is hidden in the darkness of the Earth, nor anything that is wet or dry, except that (all of these) are preserved in a Clear Book.

Yet Allah give us many signs - through His creations -  for us to ponder upon. Allah said in the Quran [3:190-191],

"Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day - there are indeed signs for men of understanding; Men who remember Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the creation of the heavens and the earth (with the thought) Our Lord! Not for nothing have You created (all) this. Glory to You! Give us salvation from the suffering of the Fire."

The question is how do we explain the greatness of our Creator and the fact that we do have limitations in children's language? 

For example, we don't know the true reasons why we could not see Allah in this worldly life, but by knowing our limitations - through scientific discoveries - we could at least understand how it is impossible for us humans to see Allah with our (earthly) eyes.

The challenge for parents is to convey the understanding to our children in the simplest possible way. This is when books such as Emma's come in handy. Masha Allah!

Her books help to answer children's inquisitive minds by showing them - using beautiful illustrations and simple words to explain scientific facts - for instance how certain things work. Thus giving them the understanding why some things are beyond our grasp.

The books will not only delight and inspire children, but would move us, adults too. Emma puts everything so brief and simple for the little readers, yet her books would also rekindle our souls to reflect on our existence.  It's like a reminder to us - of who we are and the fact that we do have limitations. Sometimes in our efforts to pursue this worldly life, we forget about our limitations and tend to push the boundaries.  

In her first book 'How Big is Allah' Emma brings her readers - small or big - to take a moment and let our imaginations wonder upon this big, big universe - from the tiniest little thing to the biggest creation we could imagine.  

I love that this book also instil humility in a beautiful, subtle way. The book starts with asking little children of the smallest thing they know before the author leads them to imagine how big they are compared to the smallest thing they know.

And then the 'serious' thinking begins. She asks her young readers to think of the biggest thing they know, before proposing them to imagine how small humans are compared to that. 

Further on, the realisation continues.  Humans are getting even smaller, and smaller.  Then she calls little ones' attention that every small or big things there are in the universe are all created by Allah. 

Looking at the illustrations and simple scientific explanations she provides, I have to put a pause to the facts. When you read the book, you can't help yourself but to do the maths.  Masha Allah how very, very tiny we are - even the planets too.  And how great is our Creator.  Indeed Glory is only to Allah.  What a beautiful reminder!

And I can tell the little ones too, grasp the idea.

"Just when we though that we are pretty big, the mountain is bigger than us.  The mountain is big enough for me, but our earth is even bigger.  The sun is so big, but other stars are bigger. And then there's a milky which is bigger than the stars yet there are many other bigger galaxies.  And the universe! Allah created all these." Said Kakak in awe.

"Wow, I didn't know we are that small, we're just like a little ant - and even tinier- compared to the other bigger things" said M, Kakak's best buddy when she finished reading the book.

One night when I was about to read Emma's second book, my younger girl happily interrupted,

"We are so small Mommy, and we are in the Milky Way," remembering what we have read in Emma's first book, 'How Big is Allah?'

Isn't that inspiring and humbling at the same time?  Hearing the words coming out from our children.

Her book opens up to so many discussions and explorations with our children.  They learn that they are tiny little beings with limitations. Yet at the same time it inspire the little ones to know more about Allah's creations. 

And what put a smile on my face is that through it, they begin to admire and be in awe of their Creator. That they can relate and understand why do we say Allah is the Most Great. Things make more sense to them, why Mommy and Daddy keep telling them Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Best.

It would be lovely too if we can add to our children that despite our limitations Allah love us so much and He especially love those who truly love, fear and have hopes in Him. 

And the best part is to let them know how much Allah love them, the little ones. Imagine the thrills they have knowing they are being so loved by their Creator. The Greatest, the One and Only. And that leads to many more delightful conversations with the little ones.

That's why I admire this book so much. It opens doors to many, many discussions! 

I love that in the end of the story - How Big is Allah - Emma includes a verse in the Quran [39 : 67]. The verse gives a room for me to share - especially with my elder child - and further discuss the endless power of Allah the Almighty. Giving her an encouragement to ask and ponder upon. Also a task for me to further equip myself with knowledge!

Just like us, children do not like to be told.  Their minds are always exploring and figuring out things around them.  Their brains are always in thirst for nourishment. It can get scary thinking of the things our children could be exposed and attracted to in today's world.

Too much fitna (trials, tribulations and also distractions from getting closer to Allah) in our world today - to the extent that something bad that was loathed back during our grandparents' or the older generations time are considered something cool in the present. It's pretty obvious don't you think? The kind of music, movies, games, pop cultures that are being shared on our (social) media are sometimes just too much. 

The surroundings nowadays may give us a bigger challenge in our efforts to instil Islamic values and nurturing eeman (faith) in our little ones' hearts. But this condition should not dampen our spirit, but motivate us to strengthen our parenting roles.

According to Aisha Hamdan, author of 'Nurturing Eeman in Children',

"Those who have taken the remedy from the time of birth will find it less difficult or strange to continue it (instilling Islamic values and faith) throughout their lifetime. It will naturally flow and progress as the person develops and grows through each phase of life. In actuality, children have within them a very special seed known as the fitrah. The fitrah is the innate, inborn tendency to know Allah, to believe in the oneness of Allah, and to develop eeman. The seeds of eeman are already planted and only need to be nurtured lovingly in order to grow into beautiful, flowering plants.

One of our big tasks is to develop an Islamic personality in our children.  For instance, what kind of home and environment we provide to our children? Do we we make Solat and reading Quran a routine in our home? What kind of entertainment do we give them? e.g. the kind of cartoons we let them watch, the games we play with them, and the books we read to our children.

Apart from playing with our children, I think reading storybooks to them is probably one of the best entertainment we can give to our little ones. The ones that celebrate their curiosity, make them smile and giggle, talk about it, and also at the same time instilling values in them. Best of all reading is a lovely time to snuggle and cuddle with our children.

Aisha Hamdan indicates in her book how important it is to provide a small Islamic library in a Muslim home.  Parents are encourage to provide a variety of material - e.g. videos, books, Cds - covering the needs of all age and language.

Alhamdulillah when it comes to children's books, we are now being blessed with so many wonderful Islamic books for children.  However I found a huge number of them are catered for older school children. The language used in them are rather complex and heavy for younger children to comprehend.

Children of a younger age (especially our preschoolers, toddler and babies) need something simpler. Something they can relate to. Something that attract them to Islam, not to bore or force them. Something they can easily grasp and comprehend. And something that celebrate their curiosity and imagination - in a fun and loving way. 

So to finally discover Islamic children's books catering to the young minds really makes a wonderful impact in my little ones's interest for Islamic storybooks.

These books, e.g. Zayd's series (I'll share about them hopefully soon here on my blog), Emma's books, Quran Stories for Little Believers (e.g. The Story of the Fly) and many more (I hope I'll be able to share them too) have helped me tremendously in instilling Islamic values to my little ones - in a very simple and entertaining way - with a touch of love. 

I also think we are much in need of Islamic children's books that help to answer children's curiosity and encourage their imagination, e.g. the likes of Emma's books.  We need more children's books in this genre. Children's books told in a simple and fun manner that could explain words of Allah through scientific discoveries and instil the love and awe towards their Creator.

I was astonished at how simple Emma's books are.  All the facts in her books were something that we are familiar with, especially back in school.  But it never occurred to me to present them like Emma does to my children.

A friend of mind shared the same thought. "Wow they were very simple ideas actually, some I never thought of before."

Alhamdulillah for such wonderful children's books.  Storybooks that make complex things become so easy to digest and grasp. And help strengthen their beliefs - making them understand Quran better - and hopefully inspire them to be among the ones Allah mentioned in the Quran,

"Read! In the name of your Lord who created - Created the human from something which clings. Read! And your Lord is Most Bountiful - He who taught (the use of) the Pen, Taught the human that which he knew not."
[96:1-5]

"He [Allah] grants wisdom to whom He pleases; and he to whom wisdom is granted indeed receives a benefit overflowing. But none will grasp the Message except men of understanding."
 [2:269]

In shaa Allah.  I can see we are moving towards that. To more storybooks that guide, inspire and at the same time bring beautiful memories to our children. Memories so dear and close to their hearts - the ones that remind them of their Creator.


PS: If you are in Malaysia, you can purchase Emma's Books at ByUmmWaliyya

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