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The Amazing Discoveries of Ibn Sina
The life story of Ibn Sina (980-1037), one of the greatest philosophers, scientists and physicians of the Islamic world. Born in Persia more than a thousand years ago, Ibn Sina was one of the greatest thinkers of his time ― a philosopher, scientist and physician who made significant discoveries, especially in the field of medicine, and wrote more than one hundred books. As a child, Ibn Sina was extremely bright, a voracious reader who loved to learn and was fortunate to have the best teachers. He memorized the Qur’an by the age of ten and completed his medical studies at sixteen. He spent his life traveling, treating the sick, seeking knowledge through research, and writing about his discoveries. He came up with new theories in the fields of physics, chemistry, astronomy and education. His most famous work is The Canon of Medicine, a collection of books that were used for teaching in universities across the Islamic world and Europe for centuries. Ibn Sina’s story, told in the first person and beautifully illustrated, provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of the great intellects of the past. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language C CSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
6 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
About the author
Fatima Sharafeddine
194 books130 followersSee also فاطمة شرف الدين.
Fatima Sharafeddine was born in 1966 in Beirut, Lebanon, and spent the first six years of her childhood in Sierra Leon, in West Africa.
Three years after she returned with her family to live in her native country, the Lebanese civil war started. She spent the next 15 years of her life moving between cities, houses, and schools, always trying to refuge in the safest area.
In 1989, she received her B.A. in Early Childhood Education from the Lebanese American University. A year later, she got married and moved to the USA where she received a Master’s degree in Educational Theory and Practice (1993), with focus on Children’s Literature, and a Master’s degree in Modern Arabic Literature (1996), both from Ohio State University.
She moved to Houston, Texas in 1996, where she worked for two years as a lead teacher with children aged 3 to 6. At a later stage, she taught Arabic Language and Culture classes at Rice University (from 1998 to 2001).
In 2001, she moved with her husband and two children to Brussels, Belgium, and decided to become fully dedicated to writing for children. She currently works with three publishing houses, ASALA (Lebanon), KALIMAT (UAE), and MIJADE (Belgium). She mainly writes for children between 0 and 12 years old, but recently started writing for young adults. Over the last 6 years, she has written and published over 45 books, and translated several others from English and French into Arabic.
Moreover, several of her books have been translated to various Asian and European languages (details in the bibliography).
In March of 2007, she won the award of the best book of 2007 for her book “Mountain rooster” from the ‘National Committee of the Lebanese Child’, and in February 2009, her book “There is war in my city” was chosen to be on the honor list of Anna Lindh Foundation.
In 2010 she was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, for her achievements in Children’s Literature in the Arab World.
Fatima is an active member of the Society for Children Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Brussels branch, where she participates in several workshops a year, as well as organizes bimonthly critique group meetings. She also attends several book fairs during the year, mainly the Frankfurt book fair, the Bologna book fair, and the Beirut International Book fair. She participates in various reading activities in Lebanon, such as the Reading Week (in spring) and the Book Festival (in summer), where she gets a chance to go to remote villages in Lebanon and read to the children in schools and public libraries.
She has recently started to give workshops, in various Arab capitals, for writers who want to focus on children’s literature.
Fatima Sharafeddine was born in 1966 in Beirut, Lebanon, and spent the first six years of her childhood in Sierra Leon, in West Africa.
Three years after she returned with her family to live in her native country, the Lebanese civil war started. She spent the next 15 years of her life moving between cities, houses, and schools, always trying to refuge in the safest area.
In 1989, she received her B.A. in Early Childhood Education from the Lebanese American University. A year later, she got married and moved to the USA where she received a Master’s degree in Educational Theory and Practice (1993), with focus on Children’s Literature, and a Master’s degree in Modern Arabic Literature (1996), both from Ohio State University.
She moved to Houston, Texas in 1996, where she worked for two years as a lead teacher with children aged 3 to 6. At a later stage, she taught Arabic Language and Culture classes at Rice University (from 1998 to 2001).
In 2001, she moved with her husband and two children to Brussels, Belgium, and decided to become fully dedicated to writing for children. She currently works with three publishing houses, ASALA (Lebanon), KALIMAT (UAE), and MIJADE (Belgium). She mainly writes for children between 0 and 12 years old, but recently started writing for young adults. Over the last 6 years, she has written and published over 45 books, and translated several others from English and French into Arabic.
Moreover, several of her books have been translated to various Asian and European languages (details in the bibliography).
In March of 2007, she won the award of the best book of 2007 for her book “Mountain rooster” from the ‘National Committee of the Lebanese Child’, and in February 2009, her book “There is war in my city” was chosen to be on the honor list of Anna Lindh Foundation.
In 2010 she was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, for her achievements in Children’s Literature in the Arab World.
Fatima is an active member of the Society for Children Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Brussels branch, where she participates in several workshops a year, as well as organizes bimonthly critique group meetings. She also attends several book fairs during the year, mainly the Frankfurt book fair, the Bologna book fair, and the Beirut International Book fair. She participates in various reading activities in Lebanon, such as the Reading Week (in spring) and the Book Festival (in summer), where she gets a chance to go to remote villages in Lebanon and read to the children in schools and public libraries.
She has recently started to give workshops, in various Arab capitals, for writers who want to focus on children’s literature.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 12, 2017
I'm glad this book exists, because children are unlikely to hear of the Islamic Golden Age & its place in Western cultural history without books like these. Ibn Sina (often known in Europe as Avicenna) is a wonderful subject for a picture-book.
The artwork is lovely, but I was hoping for a slightly more dynamic text. It's quite wordy and dry, like this:
"I completed my medical studies at the age of sixteen. During this time I discovered new ways of treating diseases that the doctors had been unable to cure."
It doesn't communicate emotionally, and many readers will struggle to connect with the story as a result. This is a great shame - but, with any luck, children will still be curious enough to find out more.
The artwork is lovely, but I was hoping for a slightly more dynamic text. It's quite wordy and dry, like this:
"I completed my medical studies at the age of sixteen. During this time I discovered new ways of treating diseases that the doctors had been unable to cure."
It doesn't communicate emotionally, and many readers will struggle to connect with the story as a result. This is a great shame - but, with any luck, children will still be curious enough to find out more.
November 11, 2024
"When Sultan Nuh ibn Mansour al-Samani fell ill, the greatest physicians came to treat him. None of them could find a cure, so I asked for a chance to try, even though I was not yet eighteen."
Okay the good - the art in this book is absolutely gorgeous and it is refreshing to see children's literature focus on the Islamic Golden Age. That being said, the writing here is dry ("I wrote three poems in which I included vocabulary that would be unfamiliar to most readers") and I didn't really feel any emotional connection to Ibn Sina. I imagine kids would similarly struggle to connect, but there are enough concepts in here (soundwaves, infections, breastfeeding for some reason lol) that could spark curiosity and lead them down rabbit holes.
May 27, 2017
Ibn Sina or Avicenna as he is better known in the Western world, was born in Persia more than a thousand years ago. He was a child prodigy who had memorized the Quran by the time he was ten years old, and finished his medical studies by the time he was sixteen! His contributions and new ideas to the fields of medicine, chemistry, astronomy, physics and philosophy live on to this day, such as the observation that light travels faster than sound, and use of anesthesia.
His famous work, the Canon of Medicine was the standardized text on medicine used all over the world. As the author (Fatima Sharafeddine) emphasizes: “It is essential, in my opinion, for new generations of children to be introduced to such historical figures, especially since school curriculums in most part of the world do not include them.”
See other books in our Inspiring Muslim Leaders and Thinkers booklist here:
https://kitaabworld.com/blogs/news/in...
His famous work, the Canon of Medicine was the standardized text on medicine used all over the world. As the author (Fatima Sharafeddine) emphasizes: “It is essential, in my opinion, for new generations of children to be introduced to such historical figures, especially since school curriculums in most part of the world do not include them.”
See other books in our Inspiring Muslim Leaders and Thinkers booklist here:
https://kitaabworld.com/blogs/news/in...
August 6, 2021
I’d never heard of Ibn Sina. I learned elsewhere that Ibn means “son of.” I looked it up because I was aware of it in Ibn Battuta. I wondered if it was a common name or maybe an honorific. I hope that he is included in medical school curricula as he was a genius and developed a number of foundational medical concepts and practices. The book itself is a picture book but not sure for what age. I would have liked more embedded definitions. For example, meningitis is dropped into a paragraph without real context. Great place to start for a young person interested in science and medicine! Beautiful illustrations
September 11, 2018
It's surprising to me that in some parts of the world the work of Ibn Sina, one of the greatest scientists of his time, is not as well known. We know more about Pythagoras, Euclid, Hypocrites and other mental giants of much earlier days and with less tangible-factual material to learn from. The Amazing Discoveries of Ibn Sina is a must have addition to any school library or classroom.
August 2, 2019
An introduction to the life of the Prince of Physicians and the Father of Modern Medicine.
- infection
- early childhood care and education
- education based on individual capabilities
- the "self"
- linked breastfeeding to immune system development
- painkillers before and after surgery
- sound waves
- light traveling faster than sound
- infection
- early childhood care and education
- education based on individual capabilities
- the "self"
- linked breastfeeding to immune system development
- painkillers before and after surgery
- sound waves
- light traveling faster than sound
July 10, 2019
Great book for kids
November 17, 2019
Kitabı Nar Çocuk 'tan Türkçe okudum. Tavsiye ederim.
Currently reading
March 21, 2020i am very excited about the ibn sina
March 16, 2022
A lovely book for children to discover the amazing Ibn Sina.
December 7, 2023
Beautiful illustrations and informative writing, even for adults.
March 18, 2015
Born more than 1,000 years ago in Persia, Ibn Sina (also known as Avicenna) was a boy filled with curiosity around him. He thirstily soaked up poetry, philosophy, and medicine at a young age. He even read and studied logic and philosophy. Because of his father's wealth, he had the best tutors and materials with which to study. Not only did he write books on various topics, including child care and suggested treatments for various diseases, but he also performed surgeries. The importance of this brilliant man cannot be denied, and it is marvelous to have a book for English speakers about someone considered to be a genius of the Islamic Golden Age, as the author describes him, but the book seems to merely recite all his accomplishment from the first person point of view, which in some respects, is off putting and makes him sound arrogant more than curious. I'd have liked to have known more about his extraordinary man, hinted at through the illustrations, drawn with color pencils. Still, for those of us who know little more about the world than American history or Western civilization, this is a good starting place to move from our own historical comfort zones.
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January 1, 2016Another reviewer noted that having this story told in the first person is a little weird since Sina can come off a little arrogant all I-statements about his brilliant achievements. I didn't feel that too much, as the narrative is told very matter-of-factly, but as the story went along I felt it more.
And occasionally I would do a double-take, like when he talks about learning linguistics and says, "Afterwards I wrote three poems in which I included vocabulary that would be unfamiliar to most readers." Er, what were you thinking, author; Sina sounds like a jerk?
I also cringed at, "I also stressed the benefits of breastfeeding, which maximizes their [children's] immunity and protects them from a variety of diseases layer on," given how much shame etc. we place on parents who don't breastfeed and how toxic that parent-policing is.
(Also, "offering me a golden opportunity" felt jarringly colloquial.)
I love that the illustrations feel very Islamic; they were definitely my favorite part of the book.
And occasionally I would do a double-take, like when he talks about learning linguistics and says, "Afterwards I wrote three poems in which I included vocabulary that would be unfamiliar to most readers." Er, what were you thinking, author; Sina sounds like a jerk?
I also cringed at, "I also stressed the benefits of breastfeeding, which maximizes their [children's] immunity and protects them from a variety of diseases layer on," given how much shame etc. we place on parents who don't breastfeed and how toxic that parent-policing is.
(Also, "offering me a golden opportunity" felt jarringly colloquial.)
I love that the illustrations feel very Islamic; they were definitely my favorite part of the book.
April 2, 2016
Holy gorgeous illustrations batman! I love the colours, and the eyes...everything seems to glow from the page and all the characters are definitely looking directly into my soul :|
Ibn Sina was an awesome dude. This book includes a lot about his accomplishments and abilities as a doctor and scientist. The first-person narrative is kind of weird though, to echo a couple other reviews. I would have enjoyed it better in the third-person. Also, according to the author's note, the earliest copy of The Canon of Medicine is at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, so I'm going to have to go visit it soon!
Ibn Sina was an awesome dude. This book includes a lot about his accomplishments and abilities as a doctor and scientist. The first-person narrative is kind of weird though, to echo a couple other reviews. I would have enjoyed it better in the third-person. Also, according to the author's note, the earliest copy of The Canon of Medicine is at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, so I'm going to have to go visit it soon!
May 29, 2015
I had never heard of Ibn Sina (although that's not surprising), and this book was a good introduction to his work. It seems he was a jack of all trades of his time, much like a Leonardo da Vinci here in the West, but in his case with a specialization in medicine. The illustrations are really strange/unexpected, but have a luminous beauty that can't help but draw you in (especially the eyes...something about their huge eyes is mesmerizing!). Anyone with little knowledge of Middle Eastern/Islamic history (which I think is safely about 95% or more of the American population) could stand to pick this up and learn about one of Islam's great men of learning.
October 30, 2015
It is to my great shame that I have little knowledge about the history and historical figures of the middle east. The first book in this series, The Amazing Travels of Ibn Battuta, introduced a great traveller to myself and my children. This book introduces a great Persian doctor and researcher, Ibn Sina, who understood more than a thousand years ago some advanced concepts many western doctors only became aware of in the last 2 centuries. The artwork includes historical items and Persian motifs, as well as maps as Ibn Sina travels, giving the reader a great deal of context to something that is sure to be new to many western readers.
May 2, 2015
Ibn Sina, a genius of the Islamic Golden Age (c.622 - c.1258) excelled in numerous content areas, including education. He "wrote that it is essential for a teacher to be aware of the personal differences among children, and to guide each child according to their capabilities and talents...The teacher should redirect a child's behavior kindly, not harshly or violently."
Not sure how interesting this book would be for a young student, but I enjoyed learning about this scholar.
Not sure how interesting this book would be for a young student, but I enjoyed learning about this scholar.
December 30, 2015
Simplistic text in first person relates the life and accomplishments of Ibn Sina, "Father of modern medicine," the first person to use anesthesia etc. He lived from 980-1037. He wrote the Canon of Medicine, used until the 1770s. Studied science and philosophy too. Nice introduction to this Islamic scholar. Colored pencil illustrations, somewhat stylized. Good book to have for sharing little-known Muslim historical figures to a wider audience.
May 21, 2015
A good introduction to the eminent scholar of the Islamic Golden Age, known especially for the Canon of Medicine. Attracitve illustrations but I'm not a fan of the first person narrative for a biography. No source notes or bibliography. Translated from Arabic. From the same collaborators of The Amazing Travels of Ibn Battuta, also published by Groundwood.
May 21, 2015
I learned a lot about this Persian scholar and scientist, and this book is a nice addition to books I have for students' research on famous doctors and scientists during our medical/human body unit.
September 19, 2016
As good as it is to see a book about an Islamic polymath, I can't wait to get past this section of the library. I always hated biographies for children.
October 24, 2016
Interesting biography and beautiful illustrations, but the first person narration was not effective.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews