Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors

by Hena Khan, Mehrdokht Amini (Illustrator)

With breathtaking illustrations and informative text, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns magnificently captures the world of Islam, celebrating its beauty and traditions for even the youngest readers. Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, this entrancing volume is equally at home in the classroom as it is being read to a child on a parent's lap.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Religion, Cultural, Islam, Muslims, Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Hena Khan writes books in a multitude of formats, including picture books, middle grade fiction, pick-your-path adventures, and graphic novels. Her stories are often centered around community, friendship, and family, and draw from her own experiences and culture. Hena’s novels include AMINA'S VOICE, MORE TO THE STORY, and DRAWING DEENA. She is the author of the Zayd Saleem Chasing the Dream, Zara’s Rules, and Super You! series. Hena’s picture books include GOLDEN DOMES AND SILVER LANTERNS, UNDER MY HIJAB, and IT'S RAMADAN, CURIOUS GEORGE, among others.

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated book introducing young children to various colorful objects associated with Islam. This book also includes a glossary for unfamiliar words.
An enjoyable read-aloud for children in Grades 1 to 4. I highly recommend this book to my Alberta Grade 3 teacher colleagues when introducing Tunisian culture in the social studies curriculum. Please see my review of another suitable book, also written by Hena Khan, regarding Muslim culture called Under My Hijab.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

A simple, elegant introduction to Muslim culture through traditional colors.

-Monty K.

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! One of my students bought this at our Book fair and I read it to the class. Lovely illustrations, a message of acceptance and diversity, and poetic.

[Bina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful picture book with GORGEOUS Illustrations!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pakistani-American author Hena Khan, whose The Night of the Moon was a lovely picture-book tribute to the Muslim month of Ramadan, teams up here with Iranian illustrator Mehrdokht Amini to produce a celebration of the role of Islam in a young girl's life. The result is a distinct triumph! With a rhyming text suitable for younger children - "Red is the rug / Dad kneels on to pray, / facing toward Mecca, / five times a day" - and gorgeous artwork that will grab kids' attention and keep it, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors offers a successful new variation on the classic color-concept-book.

From the moment I opened the book, and saw the beautiful endpapers, decorated with an arabesque motif in vivid hues, I knew I was in for a visual treat. The artwork here is just lovely, with appealingly stylized figures, and excellent use of color. This latter is particularly important, I think, as this is billed as a book of colors. The text is likewise appealing - simple but effective, flowing smoothly, and simply made to be read aloud to children. I'm glad that Khan had revisited the picture-book genre, and hope to see more from her in the future. As for Amini, who makes her American debut here, I can only hope that more of her work is made available in this country. Highly recommended to anyone looking for children's picture-books featuring Muslim content. Although not specifically a holiday book, the mention of Ramadan and Eid make it an excellent selection for this time of year!

[Matal “The Mischling Princess” Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khan’s GOLDEN DOMES AND SILVER LIGHTS: A MUSLIM BOOK OF COLORS is a picture book in rhyming verse perfect young readers who are Muslim or for children who are not Muslim but are eager to explore the people, cultures, and religions in the world.

The illustrator, Mehrdokt Amini, did a fantastic job using colors and images that will definitely appeal to children. I especially liked that Khan included a glossary at the back, along with a pronunciation guide. This will be especially helpful for people who are not familiar with Arabic words and sounds. In addition, this PB will help adults to open up discussions about the differences in our world. This is a beautiful book and I highly recommend it in all libraries.

[CW ✨]

Such a lovely picture book about shapes and colours that intertwines with the beauty of Islamic culture and traditions. Beautifully illustrated as well and such heartfelt and loving words.

Perfect for younger readers, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, that shows shines a light on the everyday beauty of Islam!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is wonderful.

[Taneka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very beautiful. The artwork is amazing. It provides a basic understanding of Islam from the mouth of a small child.

[Fizah(Books tales by me) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for kids.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In and of itself, this is a gorgeous concept book, using fluent and simple rhymed text to feature both color names and Muslim vocabulary. It's far too easy to see this as a charming offering for Muslim children, but it deserves a much wider audience. Children around the world so often have books focused on their own culture but ALSO have experiences with books in other languages and from other cultures. Sadly, in the US we so often direct readers only to titles from their specific culture, except perhaps in a study unit or when attending a specialty school.
This would have been of great value to share, with anyone of any age, even before 9/11. Now, more than ever, it offers a sense of acceptance, familiarity, "normalcy" if you will, about Muslim people, practices, and images in a time when stereotyping and misconceptions dominate the public forum. Glossary at the back is accessible and enhances the content in the rhyming verse.
Apart from all that, it is a beautiful homage to the universality of family.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes a couple of years ago, and quite liked it. Our library just got Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors, even though it came out years earlier. I'm glad I got a chance to have a look at it, because it's just as strong as its companion.

The illustrations are lovely and clear and really help set off the text. I also like that there's a glossary at the back that offers a little more explanation of the terms used in the book, many of which non-Muslim readers won't be familiar with.

Overall, this is a strong picture book that highlights Muslim traditions. I would definitely recommend it, along with Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets.

Quotable moment:

[Jennifer Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

GORGEOUS. I saw this book at the book fair and was immediately attracted to the vibrant colors. When I saw that it was described as a Muslim book of colors, I knew I had to have it for my students. I have several students who are Muslim, and it's sometimes hard to find books that show off their heritage. This one does so beautifully. The first page with the reds is so beautiful I found myself just staring at how rich the colors were.

Students will enjoy the art and learn new words for their vocabulary as well, such as hijab, deen, and Eid. The glossary at the end is especially helpful.

What a great book!

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Color and rhymes about Islamic traditions. A simple and beautiful story to introduce young readers.

[Maria Rahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it.
It introduced different traditional things in Muslim culture by Simple written with gorgeous illustration. 😍 (So kids/people of any religion would enjoy it and know about these traditional things so easily )
I would love to read it again with my nieces even though they already know the colors.

[Fatima · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very simple informational book that can be used to introduce children to Islam and to teach them about the culture as well as vocabulary used by the Muslim community. The author is teaching colors and linking them to objects that are common in the Muslim community. It mentions key words and places such as Mecca, hijab, mosque, Ramadan, kufi and Allah. In a very simplistic way the author and illustrator use colors to inform the reader of what the life of a Muslim family could look like. The characters all belong to one family and throughout the pages each character shows a color and links it to one of the concepts. At the end of the book the author gives a glossary that explains each of these words that might be unfamiliar and also how to pronounce them.

This book could be read to children as young as 3 because it is teaching them the colors by having vibrant illustrations. It could also be read in Kindergarten and maybe 1st grade with the goal of teaching students about different cultures. The author does a really good job of using every day events or objects that a Muslim would come in contact with and emphasises its color. This not only teaches children of their colors but also that is the norm for others. It mentions the clothes, festivals, and concepts that Muslims believe in such as Zakat (charity).
The illustrations are big, bold and colorful which would keep the children's attention. The main characters in this book are Muslim but in the background of the pictures people belong to different ethnic groups and different cultures, we know this because of the difference in the dressing style. The language used in this book is accurate because a few Arabic words are used and the definitions are given at the end of the book. Overall I like this book because while trying to teach colors the author also teaches the reader about the Muslim culture and traditions.
The only stereotype or issue I see is that the author seems to focus on the Middle Eastern families and so a lot of the objects or clothing mentioned is not worn by all Muslims but rather just the group of people who belong to that country. There is a lot of diversity within the Muslim community but this book over generalizes.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this because my friend Sarah reviewed it. I have dear friends who are Muslims and I'm always looking for ways to understand their culture, so I reserved it from the library to see if it might be a good book for their three year-old. The book is quite lovely, the pictures have a lot of details and shapes and colors that make them really feel like they celebrate Muslim culture and family life. The simple text, so similar to other color books (Blue is the hijab Mom likes to wear, It's a scarf she uses to cover her hair. Brown is a date, plump and sweet, during Ramadan it's my favorite treat,) is great for making Muslim children feel like they have something to read that is suited for their culture, and that is also simply education for children of other cultures. (And adults.) The one concern I saw in another review was whether the portrayal of people in the book would be OK with Muslims, since there is a rule in the religion against portraying people in art. There are apparently different beliefs about that. Some believe that is only in religious art, similar to in the Jewish religion. What I do know is that when I showed the book to "my" kids (the nine and ten year-olds), they already knew it well and were excited to see that I had it, so it's obviously OK with their family. And the book's artist grew up in Iran, so she probably has a good sense of what's appropriate as well. So, it's a lovely basic color primer, if you want to get a gift that's a little different, I recommend it.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting genre issues here. The book is clearly intended to present an insider's definitions of Muslim concepts. The device of presenting each fact through a color has the feel of a nursery rhyme, but not any one in specific. Khan's sense of rhythm is convincing this way. Amini's illustrations are unique in style with a textured background for each image, and an airbrushed look as well as hints of collaged cloth and photography. But I think this is all computer drawn. I can't say exactly why, and the end sheets don't say anything about the art process. Text colors, placement, and font sizes all done by Amelia May Mack, graphic designer, emphasize each featured concept on each page.

Not knowing much about Islam, I wondered as I read the book about the question of presenting images of people. In particular, I remember reading about hotel and travel brochures for companies having all the people extracted from them for publication in Saudi Arabia. The aniconist principle in Islam is more widely interpreted than I thought, but when the wikipedia article started naming off examples of exceptions I recognized how it works. It's worth a look!

[Nisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am nearly as much of a novice toward Islam as my 2-year old son. This is the ideal first book to introduce both of us to the Islamic culture. Upon opening the first pages, I was stunned to see such beautiful and colorful artwork - it makes sense, since at it's bare bones, this is a color primer. Each color is delightfully displayed and introduces an aspect of Islamic way of life - orange is the mehandi ... and brown is the dates. The lyrical quality of the text was easy to follow and simple enough to catch the interest of a rambunctious toddler. It has detail, without flooding too many concepts on a young brain. There is no special story, just follows a little Muslim girl as she shows us a bit of her normal life. It's so simple, yet powerful enough to be relatable.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amina's Voice was my first experience reading Hena Khan, and after falling in love with it I knew I'd want to read more from her. I am so glad that I did!

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns is filled with some lovely simple rhymes that make for easy reading, really great colour imagery, great representation for Muslim kids, and a beautiful introduction to the culture for non-Muslim kids. The illustrations are especially beautiful as well, and I look forward to seeing more from the illustrator.

This picture book is one I won't hesitate to recommend.

[Chinook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I'll buy a paper copy of this for Kait. It's a lovely introduction to Islam and the illustrations are gorgeous.

June 16: We borrowed this from the library again. Maddie loved that the girl looks like Rapunzel with her long hair and the illustration of her standing on a balcony. Kait was fascinated by the henna.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated color concept book that introduces key elements of the Muslim faith. The author and illustrator drew on their heritage to create an accurate and affirming book.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving through various colors in this picture book to ground the understanding of Muslim culture and Islam flowed well, was illustrated beautifully, and told simply that it's an understated magnificence.

Using colors like red for the prayer rug and burnt orange for the henna in addition to so many other cultural icon and images is instructional with the overall structure of a simple picture book with a deeper message of understanding and acceptance.

[حسناء · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's so beautiful , i was happy reading it

[Amanda Nye]

1.) Text-to-World: There are many families in the community that are Muslim and wear traditional hijabs. Many times, students question this dress because it is different, so this is a great way to introduce this custom to students.

2.) This book exposes children to a variety of characteristics of the Muslim faith/culture. The book addresses the different important traditions and components that are unique to the Muslim community. Through the use of colors, the author is able to introduce different items that are used to support the culture. The author discusses the hijab, mosque, kufi, allah, Ramadan, henna, etc. in simple terms and rhyming so that students understand the important aspects of the Muslim culture.


3.)
Remembering:What is the traditional hat worn by Muslim men called?
Understanding:Explain why the title of the book is "Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns"
Applying: What questions would you ask a person of Muslim faith about their culture?
Analyzing: How would you compare your family traditions to the traditions of the Muslim culture?
Evaluating: What traditions or characteristics of the Muslim culture do you like?
Creating: Draw a picture of a tradition or celebration that you and your family partake in.

[Yasmeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade/Interest level: Primary
Reading level: n/a
Genre: Multicultural, Picture book
Main Characters: young Muslim girl and her family
Setting: n/a
POV: young Muslim girl
This book is a Muslim book of colors that is told in a simple melodic rhyme. It is told through the eyes of a young Muslim girl who tells the reader about her religion, Islam. She talks about all the traditions that many readers may not know much about. The illustrations supplement the story really well. They are all influenced by Islamic art.

Classroom Use/Theme: I feel like this book would work well with any age group even though the reading level is obviously for the primary grades. Unfortunalty, I havent really seen books on Islam in the classrooms that I have observed at. I feel like in these times, students can definetly benefit from hearing stories abour different cultures/relgions, epecially because of the negativity that is spewed from the media.It would be great to use around Ramadan or the Muslim holidays of Eid to make students aware of different cultures. This book would be a great read aloud for all students because of the content and beautiful illustrations.

[Stephanie Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns paints a picture all by itself of a beautiful far away land. In this informational text a young Muslim girl shares her way of life or deen. A book about colors that shows another cultures way of life, I believe that this book is an excellent addition to any library. "Silver is a fanoos, a twinkling light, a shiny lantern that glows at night."

This is a WOW book for me because in a time when our country is so divided, we should be embracing each other and other cultures and what better way to start than with our children. I have a few Muslim students in my class and I can't wait to share this book with our whole class!

This book has beautiful illustrations and it rhymes throughout. I think this would be a good book for PreK-2 students. I would use this in my classroom in November and December when we are talking about family traditions and holidays around the world. We are a thinking maps school and this book is perfect for a bridge map where students have to recall what each of the colors represented.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This color concept book introduces young readers to Islam and the many gorgeous colors of that religion and culture. So when the red of the prayer rug is talked about, so is praying five times a day. There is the blue of her mother’s hijab, used to cover her hair. Orange is the color of henna. Yellow is the box for Eid gifts for those in need. Green is the color of the Quran. In each instance and others, the culture is woven into the colors in a beautiful and effortless way. This is a look at Islam that is lovely, welcoming and filled with light and color.

Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.

[Rahmadiyanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kereeeen. Mengenalkan hal-hal yang berhubungan dengan Islam melalui simbol warna dan sudut pandang seorang gadis cilik. Plus penggunaan kalimat yang berima, contohnya:

Gold is the dome of the mosque, big and grand,
Beside it two towering minarets stand.

Blue is the hijab Mom likes to wear,
It’s a scarf she uses to cover her hair.

Yellow is the box we fill on Eid,
With gifts of zakat for those in need.

Memang, tidak semua khas Islam, tapi tradisi, seperti penggunaan kufi (topi putih bulat) dan hena. Bisa jadi karena penulisnya memang lebih dekat degan tradisi Timur Tengah.

Yang jelas, idenya cakep dah!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

With all the talk recently about windows and mirrors in children's literature, I love is book for encouraging my Muslim students to share about their culture and for helping my non-Muslim students understand some of the beautiful traditions and practices detailed in this book. Even though it says it's a book of colors, it's so much more than that. The illustrations are absolutely stunning and beautifully detailed, and my students poured over them for days after we read and discussed this book together. Definitely recommend for sharing in elementary classrooms!