Dawood, A. Yusuf and Yusra’s Merry Dilemma. Illustrated by Fatimah Farooqi. NP: Shush Books, 2023

Summary

Christmas is just around the corner, and Santa and his helper are hosting a Christmas giveaway at the mall.

Yusuf is excited to be a part of the giveaway so he can play with his friends. But he feels a little conflicted because his mama and abbu say their family doesn’t celebrate Christmas. So what can he do?

Through faith and friendship, YUSUF AND YUSRA’S MERRY DILEMMA is the perfect holiday read to let Muslim children know that it’s okay not to celebrate some holidays.

Preorder Yusuf and Yusra’s Merry Dilemma on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3RWZCSS

My Kid Review

I am always interested in learning about people from different cultures and religions and I think it is important for children to do so as well. Yusuf and Yusra’s Merry Dilemma is about a Muslim family’s experience at Christmas. I was very disappointed that A. Dawood did not include a glossary of the many Muslim terms/words used throughout the story. This omission really limits the usefulness of the book for non-Muslims. If those definitions were present Yusuf and Yusra’s Merry Dilemma would be a great teaching tool to use in the classroom to teach about Muslim beliefs.

The illustrations by Fatimah Farooqi do complement the text. However, they appear to be a scanned copy of an actual drawing scanned into the manuscript. It is very noticeable that they were drawn on paper.

I would not include Yusuf and Yusra’s Merry Dilemma in any school library – merely because there is no translation for the many Muslim words. The book probably has merit for Muslim families who are trying to teach their children why they do not celebrate Christmas. 

I received a complimentary copy of Yusuf and Yusra’s Merry Dilemma. This is my honest review.

About the Author – A. Dawood

A. Dawood, born and raised in Montreal, Canada, to an Indian family, currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. She studied Islamic Theology for five years at Mu’einul Islam Seminary in Johannesburg, South Africa—some of her most inspiring and life-changing years.

A. Dawood nurtured a love for reading and writing since childhood and is passionate about weaving Islamic elements into her characters and stories. She is also the author of The Say SubhanAllah series, a picture book series encouraging children to love Allah and His creation.

Now a mother of three little girls, she loves to see the joy on their faces when embarking on literary adventures.

When not writing or teaching, and if the weather is nice, you’ll find the Dawood family hiking, looking for woodland elves, and epic views while escaping tantrums and toddler woes (hopefully!).

Read more Kid Review posts.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2024 (1/25/25)

MCBD is in its 11^th year! Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen founded this non-profit children’s literacy initiative; they are two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural diverse books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.

Read Your World’s mission is to raise awareness of the need to include kids’ books celebrating diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission and history HERE.

Read Your World celebrates Multicultural Children’s Book Day and is honored to be Supported by these Medallion and Ruby Sponsors!

FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Pragmaticmom) and Valarie Budayr (Audreypress.com)

🏅 Super Platinum Sponsor: Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media

🏅 Platinum Sponsors: Publisher Spotlight, Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 50+ Languages, Lerner Publishing Group

🏅 Gold Sponsors:  Barefoot Books, Astra Books for Young Readers

🏅 Silver Sponsors: Red Comet Press, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Lee and Low Books, Cardinal Rule Press

🏅 Bronze Sponsors: CK Malone, Tonya Duncan Ellis, Anita Crawford Clark, Star Bright Books, Blue Dot Kids Press, Brunella Costagliola, Red Fin, Fabled Films 

Ruby Sponsor: Crayola 

Poster Artist:  Rebecca Burgess 

Classroom Kit Poster: Barefoot Books 

MCBD 2024 is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!

Authors: Gwen Jackson, Josh Funk, Eugenia Chu, Sivan Hong, Marta Magellan, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Angela H. Dale, Maritza M Mejia, Authors J.C. Kato and J.C.², Charnaie Gordon,  Alva Sachs, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Lisa Chong, Diana Huang, Martha Seif Simpson, DARIA (WORLD MUSIC WITH DARIA) Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou, Gea Meijering, Stephanie M. Wildman, Tracey Kyle, Afsaneh Moradian, Kim C. Lee, Rochelle Melander, Beth Ruffin, Shifa Saltagi Safadi, Alina Chau, Michael Genhart, Sally J. Pla, Ajuan Mance, Kimberly Marcus, Lindsey Rowe Parker

MCBD 2024 is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts!

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Check out MCBD’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!

📌 FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

• MCBD 2024 Poster
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• Gallery of Our Free Posters
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📌 Register for the MCBD Read Your World Virtual Party

Join us on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at 9 pm EST celebrating more than 10 years of  Multicultural Children’s Book Day Read Your World Virtual Party! Register here. 

This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.

We will be giving away a 10-Book Bundle during the virtual party plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **

Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, and connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. We look forward to seeing you all on January 25, 2024, at our virtual party!

You’ll find the link party at https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/ff851e13c3de4bd0b9c376498d30b7bc on January 25, 2024

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