Deep in the Sahara

⭐️⭐️One of my ABSOLUTE favorites!⠀

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Genre: Picture Book⠀

Ages: 4-6⠀

Islamic screening: LOVE how this describes hijab! No concerns!⠀

Price: 7 USD⠀

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This book is essentially about a little girl’s journey to discover hijab, or “malafa” and is set in Mauritania, West Africa, deep in the sahara desert.⠀

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Lalla wants to wear a malafa...but every time she says WHY she wants to wear it, an adult smiles at her and says that the malafa is more than what she states.⠀

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She asks Mama, and says she wants to be beautiful too...⠀

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She asks Selma, and says she wants to be mysterious too..⠀

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She asks Cousin Aisha, and says she wants to be a Lady too..⠀

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She asks Grandma, and says she wants to look like royalty too...⠀

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She THEN finally goes back to her Mama and asks for a Malafa to PRAY...and her mother lets her wrap one around her.⠀

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And the girl realizes: “A malafa is for faith”!⠀

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The story ends with the mother and daughter praying on their prayer rugs.⠀

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This is a must-have book!!! It truly shows so many cultural and beautiful aspects of Mauritanian culture, as well as the universal qualities of love and community. I remember wanting to wear the hijab too when I was a little girl, for many of the same reasons as little Lallu.⠀

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Prayer and Masjids are a big part of this book, showed in pictures, as well as talked about and centered around the village-people’s days. I also loved how it mentioned that they face east towards Mecca to pray. ⠀

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An author’s note in the end and a glossary of Mauritanian words beautifully display Mauritanian culture and show the author’s positive experience living there for a year. ⠀ ⠀

I loved the adorable illustrations in the book. They were so beautifully made and seemed to show the setting perfectly. You really get a feel for the culture and the dress by looking at the images.⠀

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⭐️I just can’t recommend this book enough!! Books like this show our children the diversity of Islam and how Islam is not just one culture or on one continent, but is beautiful and diverse and all over the world❤️⠀

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Get yours from my Amazon page!

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525645667/?ref=exp_muslimmommyblog_dp_vv_mw

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