Every time I am back in the UK for the summer – we buy many books! We love books. Over a number of years many of you may have noticed an increase in some very good and easy to read children’s Islamic story books. Although some may seem pricey, believe me they are totally worth investing in. Not only are you helping and supporting Muslim authors but you are encouraging Islamic Learning in your child’s life. So below are my top 10 awesome Islamic Books (with mini reviews) that are worth investing in! The books below (in no particular order) are ones I have personally and enjoyed reading with 4 year old Ammarah and her friends.

1.Migo and Ali: Love for the Prophets by Zanib Mian

This book is one of our all time fave, mainly because it covers the awesome stories of many of the Prophets in Islam in the most exciting way for children to understand. Many a times I read Islamic Stories to my girls and have found myself changing the text as I read into child friendly English. However, Zanib has really thought this out and has made this book a lovely way to teach our kids about the lives of the Prophets, from Adam, to Yusuf, to Nuh, to Eesa and Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon them all). The illustrations and questions and answers at the end by Migo and Ali  are a real plus points too.

Price: £14 click here for more.

2. Bismillah Soup by Asmaa Hussein

We love this book for many reasons. Ammarah is super intrigued by the pictures as she notices a different culture – a Somali one and of course it’s similar to one of her other fave books ‘Mama Panya’s Pancakes.’ Not only that, the fact that the soup is called Bismillah Soup is also quite amazing as Ammarah can relate to the word which literally means ‘In the name of Allah.’ (something she also says before eating her meals) The illustrations are lovely, the story line is easy to follow for a 4 year old and there is great follow up talking activities on making food, different vegetables, inviting others over etc and not forgetting sharing!

Price: $12.99 (£9.99)  – click here for more.

3.My Dad’s Beard by Zanib Mian

This was one of our first purchases from author Zanib Mian and Ammarah literally fell in love with this book. No surprises why – it’s all about dads! A fabulous book thinking about a child’s perspective of his dad’s beard, comparing them to his uncle, his grandfather’s beard etc. It’s a humorous boook and every page is cleverly finished up with different fonts and clever ways in which they story book unfolds.  We highly recommend this book!

Price: £5.99 – click here for more.

4. The Story of the Elephant by Shade_7

This really is one of the best pop-up books I have read. Not only that, it explains the whole story of the Elephant as we know it from Surah feel! It’s a fabulous way to encourage our children to begin engaging with stories from the Qur’an. It’s just brilliant – your children will love it I’m sure! We used it as a starting point to start memorising surah feel.

Price: £19.99 – click here for more.

5.The Wondrous Web by Razana Noor

We love how this book tells us the fabulous story of the spider making its web whilst Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr Sideeq hide in the cave of Thawr! Its simple language and rhyming style with cute illustrations make this a pleasant read to 4 yr olds, teaching them short snippets of Islamic History too.

Price: £5.22 on Amazon – click here for more.

6. Princess Latifa and the Angry Spider by Gator Ali

We have read this book so many times! Ammarah absolutely loves this. Not only is it about a Princess but it has a lot of emotion in the story. She was very curious to know why the spider was angry, who else was upset and what Princess Latifa did to help. If your little ones are really into Princesses then this is a lovely book. It’s actually part of a larger Princess series. Great moral of the story and talking points for good behaviour and how we can deal with our emotions.

Price: £3.99 on Amazon – click here for more.

7.Never to Small by Zanib Mian

Yet another Zanib Mian book hits our top ten list! An absolutely brilliant book encouraging the concept of trying no matter how small, or scared or afraid or just unable you feel! The rhyming element and repetitive nature makes this book such a pleasure to read again and again! Really can’t recommend it enough! 🙂

Price: £4.49 – click here for more.

8.Nightly News with Safa by Helal Musleh

Ammarah loves this book because I think she secretly thinks she is like Safa! This cute little story highlights a relationship between mother and daughter and the daughter’s attention for her mother and pleasing her mother. It ends with a hug between mother and daughter and that’s how Ammarah and I end the story too. Really lovely story with great illustrations too – we really recommend this book too!

Price: £6.33 on Amazon – click here for more.

9.A Whale of a Wish by Razana Noor

This beautiful book is about the story of Prophet Yunus (Jonah), except it’s from the perspective of the whale! I love this unique way of capturing the story to allow younger children to understand the story as we know it better too. The illustrations are lovely as is the story which rhymes making it even more engaging for the reader and listener. I definitely recommend this book for your child’s bookshelf.

Price: £5.49 on Amazon – click here for more.

10. Going to Mecca by Naima B. Robert

We love this book. It’s about Makkah, the Kabah and pilgrimage. Really nicely written, easy language which follows a family on their travels to the holy land of Makkah for Hajj/pilgrimage. The illustrations with this book are just super cute – we love the detail and I always find Ammarah exploring each page and finding something new to say about the story! Really recommend this book – great learning for kids on understanding Hajj, Umrah and what happens when their family and themselves are going to Mecca.

Price: £2.49 on Amazon – click here for more.