Yo Soy Muslim: A Father's Letter to His Daughter
By Jan Carr, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Poetic call to be proud of your heritage in a diverse world.
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What's the Story?
In YO SOY MUSLIM: A FATHER'S LETTER TO HIS DAUGHTER, a Spanish-speaking Muslim father suggests "there will come a day" when his daughter will encounter prejudice, and encourages her to say "Yo soy Muslim." He reminds her of her heritage, connecting her to her ancestors, history, and traditions. "Mi abuelo worked the fields. My ancestors did amazing things and so will I." He suggests she remember "Mayan pyramids," and celebrate the fact that she's "A child of crescent moons, a builder of mosques, a descendant of brilliance, an ancestor in training."
Is It Any Good?
A father's advice to his daughter about her mixed Indigenous Mexican and Muslim heritage reads as both intensely personal and widely universal, airily poetic and solidly concrete. In Yo Soy Muslim, author Mark Gonzales' lyrical text elevates thorny discussions of faith and background, and presents them in ways kids can understand. He moves, for instance, from innocent, kid-like questions -- "Why wasn't I born with wings?" -- to "questions this world will ask. What are you? And where are you from? And there will come a day when some people in the world will not smile at you." With the repeated refrain "Yo soy Muslim," he counsels his daughter to remember "I am from Allah, angels, and a place almost as old as time ... Yo soy Muslim. Our prayers were here before any borders were." By connecting his daughter to her heritage, he reminds her, as he so poignantly puts it, that she’s "an ancestor in training."
The art, by Mehrdokht Amini, is lovely and inviting -- colorful, with a folk-art feel. The father and daughter are shown flying through the sky, and you can feel the family's love. The book represents Muslim kids and families in a positive light, providing a mirror for Muslim kids, and a window for readers of all backgrounds.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the family in Yo Soy Muslim: A Father's Letter to His Daughter. What are the different parts of their background? What do we know from the text and pictures?
Why do you think the father says "there will come a day when some people in the world will not smile at you?" Why are people staring at the girl and her mom? What do you think they're whispering?
How is your family like the one in the book? What's your own background? Who are your ancestors, and what can you be proud of?
Book Details
- Author: Mark Gonzales
- Illustrator: Mehrdokht Amini
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Great Girl Role Models , History
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Salaam Reads
- Publication date: August 29, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 15, 2017
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