Sister Friend

by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Shahrzad Maydani (Illustrator)

Perfect for fans of The Day You Begin and Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away , a heartwarming new picture book celebrating the unique joy of cultivating friendships within your cultural community

Ameena feels invisible. It’s been that way since she started at her new school. But now there is another new girl in class. Ameena sees her brownness and her hijab, even though the other kids do not. Ameena wants to be her friend, but she can’t seem to find the right words or do the right things. Until one day, they find them “Assalamu Alaikum, Sister. Welcome.”

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Muslims, School, Childrens, Back To School, Religion

40 pages, Hardcover

Published May 7, 2024

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, it’s a very touching story of a girl who feels like a misunderstood outcast finding another misunderstood outcast and bonding over their shared ostracization and their faith. Yet, I struggled with how unkind ALL of the other students were. I kind of wished that *someone* non-Muslim was kind to them… every single one of the classmates was shunning and unkind. (And why didn't the teachers do anything to try to make things more inclusive?) It seemed almost too stark, but then again I realize I have been lucky that I haven’t witnessed something on that scale in the diverse classes I attended and I don’t want to discount that this probably does happen in many classrooms, unfortunately. (And I hope that young readers do realize that, even though it's not exemplified in this book, you don't have to be "the same" as someonein order to make friends with them.) And certainly ostracization in school doesn’t even have to be about skin color or religion, so many children are bullied or ignored for a myriad of reasons. So, yes, I think this story can have universal appeal, also, because, at some time or another, probably every single one of us has felt on some level misunderstood, unseen, and desperately yearning for someone else who “gets us” – Anne Shirley’s “kindred spirit” – and sharing a faith (especially when few others in your part of the world do) can certainly be the first step to forging a friendship.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ameena is the new girl at school who spends most of her time alone. Then Sundus arrives, could she be the friend Ameena is looking for? After a few missteps, the two girls bond over their Muslim faith.

[Zainab Bint Younus · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sister Friend" by @authorjamilah is yet another stunning work of heart by perhaps one of the most incredible Muslim picture book authors there is.

Ameena has felt invisible ever since going to her new school - but then there's a *new* new student, Sundus, whose beautiful hijab signifies familiarity and comfort to Ameena. Too bad Ameena can't figure out how to share this with Sundus!

I am so blown away by the sweetness, the beauty, and the relatability of this story. Feeling left out at school and not knowing how to approach other Muslim kids is an experience many Muslim children have, and yet this is the first time I've ever seen it shared in a kids' book!

Truly, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow has Barakah in her writing - able to share profound stories in a few words, rich with faith and love and meaning. May Allah always bless her writing!

The illustrations by Shahrzad Maydani are equally powerful, bringing visual depth to the story.

This book absolutely needs to become a storytime staple! Preorder this immediately!!

5/5 🌟

#Bookstagram #MuslimBookstagram #mymuslimshelfspace #ownvoices #WeNeedDiverseBooks #Muslimrepresentation #authenticrepresentation #muslimwriters #kidlit #picturebook #Muslimkidlit #Muslimpicturebook #representation #diversebooks #diversity

[Shifa Safadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This must-preorder-now gorgeous book is out in TWO DAYS!!
🌸🌸🌸

Ameena feels like she disappears at school. When new girl Sundus shows up, she notices the hijab and realizes she is a Black Muslim like HER and wants to introduce herself. But her words escape her.
Ameena has to find the perfect words to make friends…and she does🥹❤️

The layers of sisterhood in Islam (loveee!), the way Salaam is so important, and the universal worry of feeling invisible are all important themes in the book. I love how this book exudes the love and joy at finding community and I know that, like Ameena, whenever I see a hijabi, I wanna say salaam too❤️

Gosh yall, I always am in awe of @authorjamilah and her writing. The LAYERS! She is truly a master at picture books and an autobuy author for me! I treasure every one of her books and this one has burrowed its way deep in my heart too!!

The illustrations of @shahrzadmaydani are visual perfection! Stunning and whimsical, they convey emotions just as beautifully as the words do! The book is true art and will be gorgeous on every shelf.

My little girls keep reading it before bedtime as they love anything with sister in the title! And I have no doubt that every kid (and parent) will love this book🩷

Published by @abramskids

Order now and tune into our @muslimbookreviewers live with Jamilah next Friday in shaa Allah!🌸🌸

#islamicbooks #islam #islamic #islamicbookstore #books #muslim #islamicquotes #islamicbook #quran #bookstagram #reading #islamicart #read #booklover #muslimah #islamicgifts #islamicknowledge #islamicshop #allah #deen #muslimbooks #islamicreminders #islamicpost #muslimkids #sunnah #islamiccenter #islamicbookshop

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

don't mind me, I'm just crying over here.
Ameena is the only brown kid in her school, until one day a new student shows up: Sundus. Ameena wants to be her friend, but doesn't quite know what to say. Instead of introducing herself, she says "You're muslim!" And Sundus immediately thinks that Ameena is making fun of her. It isn't until the both are in masjid that Sunday that Sundus realizes Ameena wasn't trying to be mean.
A heartwarming tale about friendship, identity, and communication. So sweet.

[Jackson’s Books & Music · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so incredibly sweet! Great showing, not just telling, how the characters felt and how they struggled to express themselves at times. I loved the rocky road to eventual friendship and the misunderstandings and failed attempts along the way. Very realistic! The artwork was gorgeous and wonderfully expressive and moving. An amazing book I recommend to all ages!

[Maleeha Siddiqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow never misses and this story paired with Shahrzad Maydani's signature brushstroke illustrations is a winning combination that will leave a smile on your face and in your heart.

[Y.Poston]

a shy exploration of friendship

[Connie T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This picture book is about feeling invisible and left out until a connection is made with someone similar.

I would've appreciated this book a lot more if the Muslim words were explained to the reader. I also feel the author sends the message that you can only be friends with someone like yourself since both girls felt alone and invisible.

[Kirin · Rating 5 out of 5]

After years of teaching, librarian-ing, and mothering, my reviewers are for adults, but with kids in mind. I read in different environments and try and balance what children will think with my more critical literary impressions. But honestly, my first reaction when I see Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow has a new book out, is not about the children, or their parents, it is incredibly selfish, and I want to read the picture book for me. It has been about a year since I first read my all time favorite, Salat in Secret, and I still feel all the feels, every time I read the book. I even enjoy handing the book to people and watching them read it for the first time. So, I was both excited, and nervous to read this new book, not knowing if it would measure up to my expectations or rather hopes, so to speak. I needn't have worried, subhanAllah, this book in it's own right is moving, heartfelt, layered, powerful, hopeful, relatable, tender, and while staying on a kindergarten to second grade level is also unapologetic with its centering of Islam, race, and feeling invisible, being new, and making a friend. The illustrations and words blend beautifully, and by the second page of the 40 page book, I was already emotionally attached to the little protagonist Ameena. Good writing is good writing, and as a result this beautiful book works for all ages and will be appreciated on multiple layers even after dozens of readings, alhumdulillah.

The book begins with Ameena playing a game by herself. She always plays by herself at school, where she tends to be invisible. Maybe it is her hair in twists or her brownness, she doesn't know. One day a new girl comes, her name is Sundus, she wears hijab like Ameena wears to the masjid.

All day Ameena tries to talk to Sundus, but something always seems to keep them apart. When they finally meet, Ameena's excited words get all tangled, and a misunderstanding occurs. Ameena decides the next day to transform into a rockstar: red-orange hijab and matching boots. The other kids say she is copying the new girl. Sundus doesn't say anything.

Ameena disappears again at school, but family night at the masjid is her happy place. Where she doesn't play alone, and there are lots of browns, and she is seen. When Mama meets a new sister, and greets her with Assalamu Alaikum, Ameena sees how a greeting and a hug can be the start of sisterhood and friendship. And the next time Sundus and Ameena meet, they know just what to say.

The joy at the end forces you to smile, just as Ameena playing alone at the beginning tugs at your heart. It is a great book to see yourself and see others in a beautiful, authentic way. The universal themes of not being seen, making a friend, and being the new kid, are woven in just as hijab, masjid and Assalamu Alaikum are, making the book powerful for Muslim and non Muslims alike.

I particularly love that their is no glossary, and that the text uses the word masjid not mosque, hijab not scarf and Assalamu Alaikum not salam. That the masjid is her safe place to laugh and play, and that this book is mainstream published and will find its way to public spaces and be widely accessible.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

One young girl feel like an outsider in her class full of other "not brown" kids. Another girl joins the class and they eventually strike up a friendship. I don't even feel like we really got to know our main characters, and I also don't feel like they know or really even like each other. They bond over the fact that they are both Muslim at the very end. The illustrations appear very dull and blurry at the beginning and then they gradually get more colorful, yet still blurry working towards the end of the book. I enjoyed the colors, but not necessarily the illustrations as a whole. I feel like this book will have a very limited audience, but an audience nonetheless. I can see a School Counselor buying it to keep on a shelf about "friendship" or "inclusive behaviors" for their students. (Diamond 25-26)

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl who feels invisible and out of place at her school (maybe because she is Muslim and brown-skinned?), until there is a new girl (also Muslim) who shows up at her school. At first, it is a little awkward trying to make friends with the new girl because Ameena says the wrong things. But time passes and she finally finds the right thing to say.

I believe that kids can relate to the awkwardness of making new friends that's depicted in this story.
Kids can also relate to being lonely and feeling unseen sometimes.

We live in a city with diverse schools, but not all schools have this diversity. Teachers who have less diverse classrooms with just one (or just a few) Muslims might want to include this book on their shelves so that these students can see themselves and know that they are not alone.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thompkins-Bigelow writes such beautiful stories of childhood and in this one moves us with a lonely child. She is different from her classmates and is conflicted when it finally leads to her erasure/invisibility. A new classmate, whom *she* sees, could mean a friend. But Thompkins-Bigelow remains true to life in that reaching out isn't always simple and straightforward.

The illustrations add softness and texture that compliment the words. It's a gentle story for what could be painful to recall/experience for reader/listeners. The author and illustrator offers hope and reassurance, and the reminder that there are places and people with whom you can be seen and known.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

At her new school, Ameena plays alone every day, wondering if she is excluded because of her brown skin or twisty hair. But then a new girl named Sundus shows up. She wears hijab like Ameena does at the masjid, she has brown skin, and she is all alone too. But Ameena's efforts at friendship go awkwardly awry. Finally, when Ameena and her mother see Sundus and her mother at the masjid, Ameena has a blueprint for how to make a new friend.
Lovely and affirming, this picture book has a lot going for it. I also sort of love how for a book about friendship, the two girslss don't become friends until the last page.

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sister Friend is a lovely, beautifully illustrated book about friendship and welcome, about feeling excluded, about overcoming shyness, and about finding a new friend with the magic words, "Assalamu Alaikum." I can't wait to share it in my elementary school library. I can't wait to see the faces of my youngest Muslim students, who will read masjid in a school book for the first time, who will see two moms in hijab hugging each other, and who may feel seen and valued in a new way at school.

Highly recommended for elementary school libraries and children's collections.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about being a new student that looks different and eats different foods than the class they just joined. Loneliness is not fun and sometimes it is hard to feel different. Kids want to be kids. Kids want to be welcomed and included. This young girl, Ameena, gets a taste of the alone feelings when a new girl, who also has darker skin joins her class.

Sweet story that is needed in many schools around my community where people of all backgrounds, countries, and speaking different languages are common.

[Teresa Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sister Friend is a heartwarming story about friendship and acceptance. It's one that many kids (and adults) can relate to. It's not easy being the new kid, especially when you're "different" from everyone else. Jamilah's beautiful text is filled with emotion and heart, and Shahrzad's gorgeous illustrations add an even deeper layer of emotion. Sister Friend is one of the sweetest books I've ever read and it put me through all the emotions, lol. It's definitely one you won't want to miss!

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story of making friends. Ameena is excluded at school--because she's brown? because she wears her hair in twists? she wonders. But then a new student arrives who Ameena recognizes as Muslim from her hijab. Though her first attempt at befriending Sundus doesn't quite pan out, the two students eventually realize they share a faith and an experience of feeling isolated or not quite fitting in.

Themes: Friendship, School, Islam, Community
Age range: Kindergarten-Early Elementary

[Denise Lauron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up from the library on a whim.

I enjoyed the story and the illustrations. I felt that there wasn't much explanation about what was going on with the little girls's relationship. It would seem to me that the girls would have known what to say on the first day they met, but it wasn't clear why they didn't.

I neither recommend nor don't recommend this book. It seems to have a limited audience.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming story of acceptance that begins as a heartbreaking tale repeated too often in classrooms and neighborhoods. Ameena feels invisible at school. No one speaks to her or even acknowledges her. Then a new girl comes and Ameena tries to make her feel welcome. She doesn't show any signs of wanting to be friends so Ameena leaves her alone. Both make mistakes in their attempts to be friends but take a last brave step to play together.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as wonderful as I hoped it would be. I appreciate that both the girls are unsure about how to make friends. I think that even if they hadn't met outside of school, they would have eventually figured it out.

I find it disturbing that the teacher has the class line up by height. Seems like a way to introduce divisiveness for no reason.

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of beautiful water color illustrations this is a charming book about new friends and the ways miscommunication/misunderstandings can be navigated by finding connections. A soft, gentle read that will inspire conversation with children about methods for befriending new people.

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute little book that explains how children in school can be left out because of their color, race, religion. Illustrations are detailed, but in a shadowy, blendy was done with mute pastel colors.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two little girls discover that they have a lot more in common than just skin color. Drab illustrations show how dreary the world can be when one is invisible in the dominant culture until a kindred spirit enters the picture. Oh, what a rainbow friendship can be!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ameena is the only chlld of colour in her class and feels invisible - until another child of colour comes to class. Sundus is nervous at first but when the two girls meet at the masjid (mosque) on family night, she feels comfortable playing with Ameena at school.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a tad too long but so beautiful in illustrations. I wanted to hug both girls out of their loneliness and welcome them into my life. It made me think of a little girl I currently have in a school class--she wears a hijab. When I see her it looks like she is included. I pray that that is so!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly sweet book about making friends and how all too often it doesn't go well. The misinterpreted attempts at friendship are portrayed in such a way as to be profoundly relatable. The illustrations are soft and warm and the story is, too.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about friendship and cultural connection. This book teaches me about how to be a friend and what it means to be a friend. I would teach my class how people’s race and what their skin color is might determine what they wear.

[Joy]

The illustrations were beautiful. The story was well-intended but I found it confusing. (I don’t know if we’re supposed to recognize the game as a cultural one or not? I also don’t quite realize how the two girls suddenly became friends.) Parts of it didn’t quite click for me.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ameena feels invisible from the students in her class and plays alone at recess. When another brown face in a hajib arrives new to school she wants to be friends but doesn’t know how. Lovely illustrations and friendship story.