A beautiful story of a young syrian refugee transitioning to life in the new land, Canada. A young resilient child who wants to bring back her mom’s smile. The story highlights the struggles of newcomers trying to assimilate to the new land at the same time sharing about the culture of the old country. How does Salma bring back her mother’s smile? A must read as it invites the reader to live the experiences of the little child who misses papa and home yet is able to bring joy to her mother.

😢 😃I cried and smiled at the same time… For the immigrant children this book reminds them that they are not alone in their experiences.

To children who have never experienced leaving home and missing family abroad it brings in a beautiful perspective and an invite to appreciating diversity and those of other cultures. Empathy and love are also a theme rooted in the lines of this story as well.

Have you read this story? If so what are your thoughts? If not what in my review that makes you want to grab the book and read it? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Share your Story... Make your Voice Heard...

✅ Sharing this beautiful yet painful story with you is purposeful. Please share with me with your connections and thoughts. 💬

📡 Bringing literature of diverse cultures and people into the classroom is crucial. Every classroom has those few children who are unique in one way or another. As I continue sharing books with the theme of inclusion and bridging diverse lives and experiences into the classroom or your home, I know this book is an important addition to your child's must read this summer and or your book read aloud and discussion next school year.

📗 Lubna and Pebble is a story that shares the painful experiences of refugee families. Pebble, a listener and a coping tool, helps Lubna survive the painful experience of dislocation, and the uncertainty of her daily life after the war.

A Toddler Book about Ramadan: When selecting books for our kiddos, we must keep in mind age appropriateness and topic relevance and the most important interest. With the Holy Month of Ramadan approaching, I wanted to share a book with my son’s teachers to read for the entire class. I wanted to help them understand the special time we are about to adjourn. Even though we have few books that provide more details, we chose “The Gift of Ramadan” by Rabiah York Lumbard.

‏The story is just perfect for toddlers to enjoy and relate to. It provides enough background and informations for educators who are not familiar with the faith, practice and how kids maybe affected during this special time of the year.

‏Don’t forget to visit my instagram page @digitalit.edtech.batoul to ‏see short clips of the story and why we fell in love with it!

These two books capture your eye for their beautiful cover illustrations.  Not only that, but the words are simple with rhymes that seize your little one’s attention and interest. As you read and learn about the beautiful colors and or shapes the author shares the unique experiences of many muslim children around the world.

These two books are a must have. Share with your kids about the various colors, shapes and practices of a muslims daily life. Give them a chance to connect to their faith with literature that is beautifully crafted and tailored for children to take pride in their daily practices or for those who want to learn more about muslims and their culture.

Is there really a perfect fit?  Does your child strive for a sense of belonging? Do you sometimes feel that way as well?  This children's book holds a strong message about belonging and acceptance of others’ differences.   

Many children, especially the ones that display differences, can often struggle with a sense of belonging.  I found this book to be a perfect read to help your child embrace their uniqueness and accept and appreciate other’s differences.  

The story lines convey a beautiful message as the triangle is in search of others like him.  The book helps your child build a strong identity meanwhile appreciating and learning from different people around them who do things differently and look different.  

Key Message is to face differences with an open mind in order to reach appreciation and acceptance meanwhile learning and expanding on your own skills and personal growth.  Also I personally encourage you to point out to your child the importance of recognizing the similarities between them and other humans, in this book use the shapes as a start.  Even though all of the shapes are different in the way they look , they also have many things in common.  They are all shapes, they most have corners and sides and what is so important is that their differences makes them so unique giving them a specific role that is very important in life.  

A picture book about differences, inclusion and the importance of telling one’s story.  The author tells the story of a young girl who is quite different from many of the kids in her classroom.  A girl with a different skin color, hair color and even life experiences.  This book helps your kids see and learn how people feel when they are different.   It invites a conversation about how people have different experiences, feelings and culture that we should be welcoming of.  Most importantly it invites everyone to tell their own unique story. It invites the readers to write about their world, their real feelings, struggles, or just their beautiful day to day life.   

👁👁 Parents, I urge you to use this powerful story to help your child recognize the need to welcome others and include them.  At the same time help them recognize the beauty within them and the stories they can craft and share with the world using their own voice.  

Here are some leading questions you can engage your kids with as you read this book

❓ How do you feel when you first walk into a room filled with people you are not familiar with?

❓why is the girl looking at her curls?  How do you think she feels and why?

❓How is her summer different than the rest of the kids in her class and how did she enjoy it?