Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents (Aesop Prize (Awards)) [Paperback]

Sarah Conover (Author), Freda Crane (Author), Valerie Wahl (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Aesop Prize (Awards)

Beautiful Signs / Ayat Jamilah draws from not only the core of Islamic spirituality and ethics--the Qur'an and the traditions (hadiths)--but also from the mystical verse, folk tales, and exemplary figures of the Islamic narrative. Unlike any other collection of Islamic stories, Beautiful Signs gathers traditional stories from the farthest reaches of the Muslim world, stretching from Morocco in the west to Indonesia in the east, and from China in the north to Tanzania in the south.

This unique anthology, with its rich and thorough explanatory notes, will be invaluable to anyone wishing to understand or teach geography, world history, or world religions. It will also be treasured by Muslim families and by all parents committed to broadening the lives and values of their children and themselves.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–This book aims to do for Islam what Conover's Kindness (EWU, 2000) did for Buddhism: reflect the ethos of the religion in a treasury of stories accessible to teens. Here, too, pithy sayings from the tradition are framed on full pages between the narratives, and 22 pages of notes and sources provide foundations and suggest further exploration. These stories from the Qur'an, from Muslim history, hadiths (oral tradition), and folktales originated in the Middle East, China, Indonesia, Africa, and even Muslim Spain; several are from Sufi teachings (e.g., Rumi's). Although many feature mullahs, women star in a couple of tales. Focusing on life lessons, even the stories identified as historical can have an idealized moral: a band of robbers converted by the honesty of a youth, or a thief reformed by a lone woman's kindness. Calligraphy and frames surrounding illustrations reflect the astounding inventiveness of design in the Islamic tradition. Of the dozen line-and-color illustrations, most represent a scene and reflect the cultural diversity of the sources. Several are merely decorative. Islam today is undeniably important: a work as informative and entertaining as this one, that helps readers to understand its values, should be welcome.–Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. "Once there was and there was not" is the Arabic equivalent of "Once upon a time," and it begins many of the stories in this collection of folktales and stories from the Islamic world. One of the most popular folk characters is Mulla Nasruddin, a wise and witty spiritual guide. In one story, a woman comes to the Mulla's court and asks him to forbid her sweet-toothed son from eating candy, which the Mulla eventually does, but only after curing himself of his own sugar addiction. The book isn't only folktales; it also includes retellings of Qur'anic passages (including one about the infant Jesus), parables from the Hadiths, and stories from Islamic mystics like the great female saint Rabe'a al-Adiwiyah. Though somewhat less kid-friendly than its predecessor in the This Little Light of Mine series, the collection of Buddhist stories Kindness (2001), many of the tales from Ayat Jamilah will make excellent read-alouds, and the adapters have done a magnificent job of collecting stories from throughout the Islamic world, from China to Africa to the Middle East. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: Eastern Washington Univ Pr (June 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910055947
• ISBN-13: 978-0910055949
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,034,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Children's Books > Religions > Islam

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Overdue!, March 7, 2006

By 

Hena Khan-Mukhtar (San Ramon, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents (Aesop Prize (Awards)) (Paperback)

All I can say is that "It's about time!" We have been taking a nice, slow pace with this book (my husband, me, and our 3 young sons) and I have come to look forward to bedtime in a way that I never have before. It's wonderful to finally come across a book about Islam that isn't political, isn't out to preach and convert, isn't about gender issues. All faiths have wisdom and gentleness within its teachings and it's a relief to be exposed to lessons we can all identify with in a book about Islam. A must for all children in this age of misinformation! (Side note: I've given this book as a gift to many kids and they --- and their parents --- all thank me for it...)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bismallah al-Rahman al-Rahim..., August 27, 2006

By 

Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents (Aesop Prize (Awards)) (Paperback)

In the name of God the Merciful and the Benevolent... Thus opens every story in this book, a collection of Islamic stories for families and children. Drawn from across the Muslim world, this book collects together countless folk stories, sayings and proverbs. Excerpts from the Holy Qur'an, the Hadith and the life of Muhammad appear beside traditional Arab, Persian, Turkish, Mande, Swahili, Hausa, Pakistani and Asian fairy tales and proverbs. Historic accounts of great Muslims like Ali ibn Abu Talib, Uthman ibn Affan, Rabiah of Basra and al-Hakim stand next to the wit of Mullah Nasruddin Hodja and the poems of Sufi mystics like Saadi and Idries Shah. A huge range of cultures, countries and time periods are represented, from China and Indonesia to Al-Andalus and Nigeria, from the early days of Islam in the 7th century to the Swahili city-states of the 16th century, but all are united by the common faith of Islam.

This book is an invaluable resource for Muslim families wishing to pass on their culture and heritage to their children, but the morals and lessons contained within these stories carry a timeless wisdom that all peoples can benefit from regardless of faith. Non-Muslim families who want to teach about other cultures, or who want to show that Islam is not some evil monolithic force the media tries to portray it as, will also benefit from reading this. Stories of faith, honesty, kindness, charity, mercy and love are balaneced out with humor. The beautiful artwork and Arabic calligraphy add to this books appeal. Appearently, this book is part of a series detailing folk tales and proverbs from all of the world's great religions and there is at least one other book in the series published (this time focusing on Buddhism). I have yet to read it, but considering the outstanding quality of this book, I should like to get around to it eventually.

All in all, this is a book well worth getting. Even adults will appreciate reading some of the stories in here. I certainly did, and if you approach this book with an open mind I honestly believe you and your children will appreciate this book as well regardless of your religious or cultural beliefs.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Family Book!, June 22, 2005

By 

K. Keyworth (East Lansing, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents (Aesop Prize (Awards)) (Paperback)

Every family will want Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs on its bookshelf. Rarely does one book address the interests of so many readers, but Ayat Jamilah has something for every family member. For children, the often humorous and always delightful stories will entertain and instruct for hours. Parents will appreciate the various lengths of each story, as they can choose a short bedtime story or a long one. Even teenagers will enjoy these tales of people struggling to find their way in confusing and sometimes dangerous situations. Young adults, often frustrated by trying unsuccessfully to please peers, will find comfort and wisdom in "The Honorable Joha, Mulla Nasruddin Hodja and the Famous Donkey Story." And the lively, colorful illustrations by Valerie Wahl add a visual "reading" to the overall experience. You won't find this book at a yard sale because it's a keeper.

If the value of this book were judged only on its ability to engage, entertain, teach, and delight, Ayat Jamilah would be a winner. However, there is an entirely additional level and depth to this book. Beautiful Signs brings to our society an opportunity to learn about a religion through the eyes of one who believes in it. Freda Crane, co-author and educator, is a Muslim who has traveled/lived in many parts of the world and been collecting these stories over the years. Her unique perspective as an American Muslim allows readers - young and old - to experience both the folktales and re-tellings of stories from the Qur'an with a cozy sense of familiarity and joy. The book is a wealth of information about Islam yet never stoops to proselytizing. Sarah Conover's previous work, Kindness (2001), brought Buddhism to us in much the same manner, and both authors deliver brilliantly in Beautiful Signs.