THE MANY COLORS OF MY HIJAB
By Fartun Nur
There’s been a welcome change in children’s books over recent years, and that change has been the representation of diversity as it relates to gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ, and cultures. Fartun Nur brings us another gem of this change in her book, The Many Colors of My Hijab, illustrated by Fatima Jillani.
Our story opens with Hasna, a Muslim girl who is looking forward to her first day of school. She wants to look her best, so she goes through her wardrobe to find the right dress, plus the perfect hijab to match it. Color coordination is everything, and Hasna comes up with an excellent choice for her outfit: a red dress with white flowers and a white hijab.
The positive response to her outfit made Hasna feel happy and proud, which carried over into the different outfits and hijabs she wore over the coming days of school. She made new friends, and noticed that on occasions, her new friend Liya wore a color that matched Hasna’s hijab, or a class assignment had a color that did so.
This story is inspiring, showing Hasna’s confidence and pride in who she is without having to sacrifice her identity and cultural heritage to be part of her class. Her mother’s example, encouragement, and support is priceless. I loved the teaching moments Hasna brought to her class, as well as highlighting the words with their appropriate colors.
The Many Colors of My Hijab is available through Amazon and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website, www.mnblackauthorsexpo.com.
Thank you, Fartun, for your beautiful contribution to making children’s books a kaleidoscope, and thank you, Fatima, for your part in bringing this book to fruition. Representation matters!
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
