Children’s Books About Islam and Muslim Culture

Children’s Books About Islam

This list of children’s books about Islam has been one of my favorite children’s book lists to make. So much rich culture and so many beautiful stories are represented in the pages of these books. There are fun and silly stories, sweet and tender stories, and character building stories about being strong in what you believe. These Islamic children’s books are wonderful for Muslim children who want to read about children and families that share their faith. They are also fabulous for those who would like to know more about Muslim culture and the Islamic religion. Some of my very favorite children’s books are on this list. My children and I read all of these Islamic children’s books and we hope you enjoy them as much as we did! 

Islamic Books for Babies and Up

The simplicity of the text, the length, and the illustrations of these books are all appropriate for babies, but older children will enjoy these Islamic children’s books also! 

Like the Moon Loves the Sky by Hena Khan

This book is written in lovely soothing prose that is perfect for a baby or young child. The words are inspired by the Quran and radiate the warmth and love of parent to child. 

Under the Ramadan Moon by Sylvia Whitman

This story has a lovely rhythmic text that is simple and soothing. It gently introduces the things that Muslim families do to observe Ramadan “under the Ramadan Moon.” We see the moon change in the illustrations as the family makes treats, reads the Qur’an, practices good habits, prays at the mosque, and plays together. The text and illustrations are appropriate for babies and toddlers, but there is more detailed information about Ramadan in the back matter, which makes it a great book about Ramadan for older kids too. 

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors by Hena Khan

This book introduces colors simply through various aspects of Muslim culture and rituals. A red prayer rug, a white kufi, a yellow box for zakat, and more help babies and toddlers learn the colors.

Yo Soy Muslim: A Father’s Letter to His Daughter by Mark Gonzales

This is a lovely book that celebrates Muslim people of multicultural heritage. The text is short enough to make this an appropriate Islamic book for babies, but definitely has appeal for older kids as well!

Islamic Books for Toddlers and Up

The picture books in this section of this list of children’s books about Islam are appropriate for toddlers because of their length and content.  However, many of these Islamic books for toddlers will appeal to older children as well.

Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

This is a sweet and warm story about a little girl who likes to wear her mother’s khimar. She uses Mommy’s khimar to dress up as a princess and make believe she is a bird. She loves how her mother’s khimar helps her feel close to her mother even when she is away. The book mentions how her grandmother does not wear a khimar and does not go to mosque like her mother and father. But they are all family and love each other just the same. I appreciate how this important message is communicated in a way that young children can understand. This is a joyful and loving portrayal of a young Muslim girl accompanied by charming illustrations. This is one of my favorite Islamic books for toddlers and preschoolers! 

Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar by Mojdeh Hassani and Samira Iravani

This is a really sweet story about a little girl going to the bazaar with her grandmother for the first time. The story centers around Shamsi’s chador – the cloth that is wrapped around her head and upper body. In the story, Shamsi’s chador is a source of play, imaginary fun, and comfort for the little girl. This is a lovely and fun story that demystifies the chador and connects it to the comforting presence of a grandmother. 

One Sun and Countless Stars: A Muslim Book of Numbers by Hena Khan 

This is a counting book that introduces many parts of Muslim culture and rituals. Some of the traditions that are included are: adhan, sadaqah, the hajj pilgrimage, zamzam, and salah. The glossary in the back gives a brief explanation of the practices that are introduced in the story. 

Islamic Children’s Books for Preschoolers and Up

The text of these Islamic books for kids is simple enough for preschoolers to understand, but they can definitely be appreciated by older children as well!

Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes by Hena Khan

This simple story highlights different geometric shapes in Islamic art and architecture, and in Islamic traditions and religious rituals. It’s a great book for learning about shapes and for a very brief introduction to Muslim culture. It mentions a mosque, wudu, mihrab, Ka’aba, jannah, ayah, iftar, and more, so there are lots of concepts to inspire further learning. I appreciate the pronunciation guide in the back, and the author’s note which explains the use of geometric shapes in Islam. There is a lot to learn in this Islamic children’s book for Muslim children and children of other faiths as well!

Moon’s Ramadan by Natasha Khan Kazi

This is a charming and informative story about Ramadan told from the point of view of the onlooking moon. The moon observes Muslim families celebrating Ramadan in countries all over the world. Young readers get a glimpse of Ramadan celebrations in Egypt, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Argentina, the United States, and elsewhere. The book tells about the basics of Ramadan observance including the daily fast, Suhoor, Iftar, zakat, Chaand Raat, and Eid. A Ramadan glossary in the back gives more information. This is fantastic Ramadan story for Muslim children to enjoy and for non-Muslim children to learn about Ramadan. This book is appropriate for preschool and early elementary children, and some toddlers with long attention spans. 

Under My Hijab by Hena Khan

This is a neat story showing the different ways Muslim women and girls wear the hijab. It shows women in hijab at work as a doctor, an artist, and a camp counselor. It shows girls at school and playing sports in hijab, and women and girls at home without the hijab. The back of the book explains why Muslim women and girls wear the hijab. It also explains that some Muslim women choose not to wear the hijab, including the author. This Islamic children’s book has a lovely tone of acceptance and of celebrating Muslim women and girls. This is a great Islamic story for kids in preschool and early elementary. 

The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story by Aya Khalil

This is a joyful Islamic children’s book about Muslim children making ka’ak for Eid with their grandmother. Ka’ak is a special cookie made during Eid. The traditions of Eid are woven into the story, as well as the Egyptian history of ka’ak. There is a recipe for ka’ak in the back of the book which my children and I are excited to try! This is a lovely story that is delightful to read and just right for preschoolers and early elementary. One of our favorite children’s books about Islam!

This is a really sweet story about a little girl who grows out of her treasured red shoes and puts them in a resale shop so another lucky girl can enjoy them. The red shoes end up in Africa, given as a gift to another little girl who earned them by fasting for half of Ramadan. This charming picture book is a pleasure to read. I love the darling illustrations and the spunky little girl in the story!

Nabeel’s New Pants: An Eid Tale by Fawzia Gilani-Williams

This is a super cute story about a man named Nabeel who buys gifts for all his family members for Eid. He buys himself some new pants, but they are “four fingers too long.” He asks his family members to hem them, but they are all too busy with Eid preparations. What happens next is silly and surprising – I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say that young readers will get a kick out of this book! This is one of our favorite Islamic stories for children! 

In My Mosque by M. O. Yuksel

In My Mosque invites readers inside a mosque and shows them around, telling them about the prayer, study, and community activities that take place there. It is a warm, friendly, and welcoming introduction to Muslim worship that is easy for children to understand. The illustrations are bright and colorful and fun to look at. The back of the book explains more about mosques and invites readers to visit one. It also lists the famous mosques in different countries. This would be a great Islamic children’s book to help young children prepare for a field trip to a mosque. 

Islamic Stories for Children – Kindergarten and Up

These children’s books about Islam are a little more lengthy and complex in content than the titles above. Some kindergarteners will not yet have the attention span for these books, but many will. These are great children’s books about Islam for older kids too!

Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

This picture book is about a little boy named Muhammad who has just turned seven. Muhammad is now old enough to pray five times a day and he receives a salat rug for his birthday. He has watched his father bravely pray wherever he is and no matter who is watching. Muhammad wants to be brave as well, but he is finding it hard to pray at school. In the end, Muhammad finds the courage to do his five daily prayers wherever he is.

We really enjoyed this story for it’s window into Muslim culture, and also as a story about courage. It is a story that will help inspire children to stand up for their beliefs, whatever they may be. It’s also a great story for helping children to understand how to make space for the beliefs of other people, even if they are different from their own. This is one of our favorite children’s books about Islam! 

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Olympic Medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad

 It’s the first day of school, and for Asiya, it’s the first day of hijab. Faizah, Asiya’s little sister, looks on with love and admiration as Asiya holds her head high and confidently wears her hijab. The author tells some of her own experience as a young girl through Asiya’s encounter with bullies who make fun of her hijab. Asiya brushes off their negative comments, and remembers her mama’s counsel not to carry around the hurtful words of others. The story has a tone of love, support, self-respect, courage, and dignity. This sweet story sends a strong message of living what you believe with confidence and joy, and supporting those you love. This is one of my top picks for children’s books about Islam – and for character building children’s books. 

The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship by Ibtihaj Muhammad

This is one of my very favorite Islamic children’s books. It is about a little girl named Faizah who wants to make a kind world. She sets out to spread kindness with the help of her friends. The story shows all the many small acts of kindness between family and friends that build a kindness. This story has a powerful message that is communicated in a way that is easy for children to understand. It is an excellent character building book that also communicates strong family values. It’s a great book for inspiring little hearts to be a force for good in the world. I love love love this Islamic story for children. 

Abdul’s Story by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

The author of this Islamic children’s book writes stories about young black Muslim kids, which I think is pretty cool! This book isn’t as much about Muslim culture as it is about representing Muslim characters. In this story, Abdul has lots of stories in his head, but he struggles to write them down. He feels discouraged until he meets an author named Mr. Muhammad. Mr. Muhammad shows Abdul how to turn his thoughts into written stories and how to overcome his mistakes. This is an encouraging book for any child who is dyslexic or just struggling with writing! 

Time to Pray by Maha Addasi Arabic Language Translation by Nuha Albitar

In this story, a little girl named Yasmin visits her grandmother in the Middle East. While visiting her grandmother Yasmin hears the muezzin call the people to prayer and begins to wonder. Yasmin’s grandmother teaches her about the five daily prayers and how to pray. Teta (the grandmother) makes Yasmin prayer clothes that she can wear to the mosque and buys her a prayer rug so she can practice praying.

This is a warm and rich story with lovely illustrations. It is an excellent story for introducing prayer in Islam because it includes the elements of salah in the story – the muezzin, wudhu (ritual washing), the prayer rug, prayer clothes, and the different positions of prayer. I think this would be a great first Salah book for a child who is preparing to participate in the five daily prayers. Another neat thing about this book is that there is an Arabic translation of the story on each page. This is one of our favorite children’s books about Islam! 

Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi

In this story, Lailah is fasting for Ramadan for the very first time and she is excited! The only problem is that Lailah has moved to a new school where she doesn’t have other Muslim friends. She feels nervous about telling people that she is fasting for Ramadan. At lunch time on the first day of Ramadan the other students are concerned that Lailah has forgotten her lunch and they offer to share. Lailah finally finds her courage and shares her excitement about fasting for Ramadan with her teacher and school. This is a lovely story about having the courage to be different. It also gives the reader insight into the purpose of fasting for Ramadan and what that experience is like for a child. This is one of my top picks for Islamic books for kids! 

Lion on the Inside: How One Girls Changed Basketball by Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir with Judith Henderson

This story is truly inspirational! It is the true story of talented basketball player Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, nicknamed Qisi. Bilqis’s exceptional skill in basketball emerged when she was just a young child. Bilqis became a star basketball player on her high school team. She was confronted with a situation where she had to choose between her faith and basketball when the referees of a basketball game told her that she could not wear her hijab during the game. Bilqis would not remove her hijab, and thankfully her teammates came to her aid in support and the referees relented.

Bilqis later faced a similar situation on the court of international pro basketball. This time the outcome was not so fortunate and Bilqis was not allowed to play with her hijab. So she chose not to play. But Bilqis did not give up. She began pushing the International Basketball Federation for change for Muslim women, and after three years she succeeded!  

This is such an amazing story about standing strong for your faith, even when the cost is high, and advocating for others too. This is one of my very favorite Islamic children’s books, and an excellent character-inspiring book. I think children of any age can benefit from this story – including middle school and high school students. Young adults and adults as well! 

Amira’s Picture Day by Reem Faruqi

This story begins when Amira and her family spot the crescent moon in the sky and know that the next day will be Eid. The children are excited for Eid and excited to miss school. The only problem is that Amira realizes that the first day of Eid is also picture day at school! Amira doesn’t want to miss Eid or picture day. Everything turns out ok in the end when Amira is able to go to the Eid celebration at the masjid and then make it just in time for her class picture.

The thing I really like about this story is the tone of harmony and acceptance that is modeled. Amira arrives in her shalwar kameez rather than in the dress she had originally chosen for picture day. Her classmates admire her clothing and the henna patterns on her hands, and Amira shares the leftover Eid goody bags with them. This part of the story opens an opportunity to talk about positive ways to interact with those who have different cultures and lifestyles from our own. This is also a good story for introducing the celebration of Eid.

Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story by Hena Khan

This is a warm and joyful story about a young girl named Yasdmeen and her family’s celebration of Ramadan. There are a lot of details incorporated into the story about how Ramadan is celebrated, which makes it a great Islamic children’s book for both Muslim children and children who want to learn about Muslim culture. We find out what kinds of food Yasmeen’s family eats during Ramadan, who fasts and why, and other aspects of the celebration such as the decorations, gift giving, and henna hand painting. The story follows the changes in the moon from the first crescent Moon that begins the month of Ramadan and the crescent Moon that marks the beginning of Eid. The back of the book tells us more about Ramadan. This is a lovely story that makes it easy to learn about and appreciate Ramadan. 

The White Nights of Ramadan by Maha Addasi

Noor is a young girl who lives somewhere near the Persian Gulf where there is a special Ramadan tradition called Girgian. Girgian is a three-day celebration in the middle of Ramadan where children dress is traditional clothing and go door to door receiving candy from their neighbors. Many other Ramadan traditions are incorporated into the story, many of which are specific to countries with a dominant Muslim culture, which makes this a unique read. There is an emphasis on remembering the importance of sharing with the less fortunate and strengthening family bonds during Ramadan. This is a lovely Islamic children’s book.

Hana’s Hundreds of Hijabs by Razeem Omar Gutta

This is a fun book about a girl named Hana who loves to style her hijabs, and other people’s hijabs too! It’s a joyful look into how wearing hijab can be expressive, stylish, creative, and fun!

Journey of the Midnight Sun by Shazia Afzal

This is a really cool true story about a Muslim community in Canada that needed a bigger mosque. They were in a town called Inuvik that is so far north in Canada that it was cost prohibitive to build the mosque that they needed on site. A charitable organization and many people came to their aid to bring a new mosque to them. The thing I really like about this story is that it shows people going to great lengths to care for others and working together to reach a goal for the good of a community, regardless of differences in religion or culture. What a wonderful example! 

Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr by Sara Khan

This Islamic book for kids does a great job of telling about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr in a way that is very thorough yet concise and easy to understand. The book is narrated by Raya who is a little Muslim girl. Raya tells the reader all about how her family celebrates Ramadan and explains why they do the things they do, such as fast and do good deeds. The book is very friendly in tone and enjoyable and easy to read. A great Islamic children’s book for learning about Ramadan! 

Children’s Books About Islam for Older Readers

These Islamic children’s books are a little more lengthy and text heavy than the selections above. They are still appropriate for elementary aged children, but best for those with a little bit longer of an attention span. 

The Wise Fool: Fables from the Islamic World by Shahrukh Husain

This is a collection of folk tales about Mulla Nasruddin. Mulla Nasruddin tales are told all over the Islamic world, from Turkey to Afghanistan, to Iran, Greece, Bulgaria, and even Russia and China! These tales about Mulla Nasruddin are silly and entertaining, and some of them have a great moral! We thoroughly enjoyed these Islamic stories for children.

Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi

This is an informational Islamic book for kids told from the vantage point of a young boy named Hakeem. We follow Hakeem while he celebrates Ramadan. Hakeem tells us what fasting is like for a child, how his family prepares for the fast with a meal before dawn (called Suhur), and breaks his fast with a large dinner called Iftar. We see how Hakeem prays, reads the Quran, and works toward personal purity and compassion for others during Ramadan. This book is pretty thorough in describing Ramadan. It does have a lot of text, so it’s probably best for middle elementary and up. This is a great Islamic children’s book for learning about Ramadan!

Muhammad: The Life of the Prophet, based on original sources Retold by Ahmed Abo Knegar

This is a biography of the prophet Muhammad that is written in a simple and engaging story form. It covers the birth of Muhammad, the visit from Gabriel, the flight from Mecca, the first hajj, and the death of Muhammad. We learn about the companions of prophet Muhammad, his family members, and lots more. The story is 54 pages long with small illustrations, so it is best for older children. I’d recommend this book for middle elementary on up. If your child can read or listen to chapter books, this book will be a good choice.

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I hope you enjoyed the books on this list of children’s books about Islam! Thank you for visiting! Please come back soon!

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