Digging Deep

Rating: 10/10⠀ ⠀ Age recommendation: ages 6-9 both genders⠀ ⠀ Islamic screening: pretty clean, some mentions of dancing/music for those not comfortable with that.⠀ ⠀ I really enjoyed this diverse chapter book, part of a “Girls with Game” series from @capstone_pub , which I find so inspiring and wonderful for little girls to read. Being proud of your religion is such an important concept for kids to learn, and seeing books with Muslim characters doing normal everyday things like playing sports helps kids identify with them and feel pride in themselves. ⠀ The book is not an early-reader, but its not too long either. It has a BL level of 3.3 and an AR of 1, and so it is probably most suited for second grade readers (though it can be enjoyed by 1st to 4th as well). ⠀ ⠀ It tells the story of Asiyah, a young Muslim hijabi approximately 9-10 year old girl who joins the volleyball travel team at her school. She mentions her concern at joining and having other people look at her hijab to her best friend Lucy, but Lucy tells her no one minds that she covers or that she’s Muslim, and that she should still play. Asiyah is a goofy girl with a big personality that loves to make those around her laugh (this seems to also be her coping mechanism for being sometimes uncomfortable or scared of being different). Her silliness causes other team members to be irritated by her lack of focus on the game, and she overhears Lucy and some others talk about their frustrations with her behind her back. This hurts her feelings, and so she “digs deep” with the advice of her older brother, and manages to show her team that she does care about them and the game.⠀ ⠀ I like how the story deals with the issue of Asiyah’s friends talking about her, and how hurt she is when she hears them. Many kids go through this too, and the way she confronts and forgives Lucy, while also improving her own self are all good techniques for kids to see and emulate in their own lives.⠀ ⠀ I loved the way Asiyah owns her diversity and is a wonderful positive representation of Muslims in books. ⠀

link: https://crescentmoonstore.com/products/digging-deep?_pos=1&_sid=2e34b347b&_ss=r

price: 6 usd

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