Abdul's Story
ABDUL'S STORY
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Tiffany Rose
Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster | 2022
Although Abdul is a confident young storyteller, dyslexia and sloppy handwriting slow him down and causes frustration. At school one day, a successful Black Muslim guest author, Mr. Muhammad, shares his own messy writer's notebook on a class visit. This encounter becomes the key to building Abdul's courage and helps him let go of a well-worn eraser and allow ideas to flow. Every kid who has stared at a blank page struggling to write will connect with this representational, uplifting book.
Discussion questions
What makes someone a good writer?
Where do you keep your story ideas?
What do you tell yourself when it’s tough to keep on trying?
Vocabulary
hawking: selling goods for a living
mosque: A Muslim place of worship
Bismillah: An Arabic phrase used to signal the start of something and asking God for a blessing
Video content
Read aloud by the author (YouTube, 11:38m)
What is it like to have dyslexia? (YouTube, 3:14m)
Publisher content
Activities
Photo Credit: Michael E. Gray
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Author
https://jamilahthewriter.com
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a Philadelphia-based educator and children’s book author. Her works, which center young Black Muslim protagonists, have been recognized and critically praised by many trusted voices in literature, including American Library Association, School Library Journal, and NPR. Her books include Mommy’s Khimar and Your Name is a Song, and she is a contributor to the Once Upon an Eid anthology.
Tiffany Rose
Illustrator
www.asouthpawdraws.com
Tiffany Rose is a left-handed author/illustrator currently based in Shanghai,China. Rose saw a need for children of color to be represented in children’s literature and illustration. She remembers what it was like as a brown child not seeing herself reflected in the books and characters she loved so dearly, and has been inspired to create art and meaningful stories, so that underrepresented children can see themselves in books. Pencil in hand, she's changing that notion one illustration at a time
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