Not Now, Noor!

Product Information

Noor loves her mum, and all the other hijabi women in her family, but wonders why do they wear headscarves? Using a vibrant colour palette of reds, yellows and purples, the beautiful artwork is full of emotion and movement. It is by no means wrong, it just at the end presents what hijab means, the benefits of wearing it, and one's personal feelings toward it, while skirting the answer the girl keeps asking of why? The illustrations throughout this story are so colourful and vibrant and bring Noor and her family to life through the pages. Farhana is a Birmingham based primary school teacher turned author with a passion for empowering diverse voices through story-telling.

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Back to the story, Noor starts by asking her sister, the coolest hijabi she knows, if she wears it to hide her snacks in, or hide her big ears, but Affa brushes her off with a, "not now, Noor" and she is off to the next family member to ask. The book starts with Noor identifying what her Ammu's hijab is and isn't, how she wears it and how she doesn't.

This heart-warming yet funny tale is a celebration of Muslim women, curious children, and family love. Inspired by the experiences of Olympic medallist Ibtihaj Muhammad, this is a beautiful and powerful story about the bond shared between siblings and being proud of yourself and your beliefs. With my own children way past sharing such titles with me, and my own knowledge now quite poor, I have mostly relied on recommendations from my Twitter friends up until now to guide my acquisitions. When Noor finally gets to her mom it is she who answers with poetic lyricism, "We are Muslim women, my Noor, Unapologetic and true. Just as Noor is ready to give up on her quest, her Ammu arrives home and knows just the thing to say.Farina Islam and Nabila Adani’s picture book is a bright, cheerful and slightly cheeky look at what the hijab is and why some Muslim women wear it. Imagine Me Stories is an award winning monthly subscription box that aims to inspire all children by providing quality black children's literature and empowering black history activities. Noor’s facial expressions, from excitement to dismay, are brilliantly funny and work well alongside the text. It may have perks of keeping your ears warm, fashion, or hiding your earbuds, but that isn't why Muslim women wear hijab.

is a celebration of Muslim women and gently approaches the religious reasons for wearing a hijab in a light-hearted way for children. Just as Noor is ready to give up on her hijab quest, her Ammu arrives home and knows just the thing to say. Noor’s imaginative thoughts on why her relatives may wear hijab made me smile and I really liked the fact that when she finally gets an answer, her mum stresses how it is Noor’s choice to wear hijab but that it does go to her mum’s identity as a Muslim and she is unapologetic about that. A flowery sentiment, but little Noor and the reader never got the answer as to why Muslim women wear hijab, and I think that it is unfortunate. She originally studied Industrial Product Design in Bandung Institute of Technology earning her degree in 2013 yet found her way into illustration later in life.

Big fan of what this book does: show a sweet and funny little girl lovingly interacting with her family and asking big questions.