By: Fatima Sharafeddine Illustrator: Rasha Mounib Al Hakim

Bloomsbury Publishing

January 2017

While I’m on this note of promoting intercultural understandings, I think it’s timely to add these two books to the blog. They are quite simply written with bold illustrations and perfectly capture small adventures in a little girl’s life. The important thing to my mind is that this little girl is Muslim and with all the negativity about Islam in the media it’s even more necessary for our readers to understand that diversity is not something to reject.

Mimi and the Piano

ISBN 9781408887448

Like many kids Mimi decides on a new hobby – in this case the piano. She really does love it but oh my goodness, the practice as her lessons grow harder. Her teacher wants her to perform in the end of year concert but Mimi puts on her seriously grumpy face and wants to pack it in.  Will her mum and teacher be able to persuade her to keep going?

Sounds like quite a few children I’ve known!

Mimi in Paris

ISBN 9781408887400

How very exciting! Mimi and her family are off to Paris for a vacation. So much to see, so many new things to explore and people to meet – not to mention the glorious food! Even though her mum warns her not to wander off, Mimi can’t resist chasing some very amusing pigeons and oh oh! She’s lost L.

Luckily she has a card from the hotel in her pocket and so even though she can’t speak French, a kind female police officer helps her find her way back. Lesson learned!