Muslim families in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have more access to great Islamic children's books than at any other point in the history of American Muslim publishing. The challenge is no longer scarcity — it is knowing which titles are actually worth it.
This list is built from years of running book fairs across DFW, watching which books children pick up first, which ones parents order again before the first copy is finished, and which ones teachers at Islamic schools across North Texas request by name.
For babies and toddlers (ages 0 to 3)
The Way to Jannah by Learning Roots is the lift-the-flap baby book Muslim parents in DFW keep coming back to. It is designed specifically for babies — high contrast images, sturdy flaps, and a layout built for little hands. Allah Knows All About Me, also from Learning Roots, sits alongside it as the gentlest possible introduction to the concept of Allah for children who cannot yet hold a conversation.
For toddlers who are ready for a little more narrative, Migo and Ali: A-Z of Islam by Zanib Mian is the board book that explains Islamic concepts in language a two-year-old will actually absorb. The illustrations are warm and detailed. The explanations are short and honest.
For early readers (ages 4 to 7)
Basma Bear Loves Bismillah and Alhamdulillah Saves the Day from the Blessed Words series are the titles that consistently sell out first at Maktabah book fairs. They are simple, funny, and teach the dhikr in a way children remember because they care about the characters.
Ahmed and the Very Stuck Teapot by Sarah Musa is the picture book DFW parents who want their child to see a Muslim boy protagonist in an everyday, non-Ramadan situation keep reaching for. No lessons spelled out. The faith is just present, the way it would be in a real home.
For families in DFW with Arabic speakers or Arabic learners at home, My Body (جسمي) from Katkook is a bilingual Arabic-English board book that works as a genuine language tool rather than a decoration.
For chapter book readers (ages 6 to 10)
The Planet Omar series by Zanib Mian is the book most likely to turn a reluctant reader in this age group into someone who finishes a book in one sitting. It is diary-style, illustrated on every page, and funny in a way that does not feel calculated. DFW Islamic school libraries stock it. Parents in the area order the full series.
The Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi works for slightly younger readers who are just crossing into chapter books. Yasmin is Pakistani-American, bold, creative, and Muslim without the story being about being Muslim.
For middle grade readers (ages 9 to 12)
Kareem Between is the book Maktabah recommends most often for Muslim boys in this age range across Dallas-Fort Worth. It handles code-switching, belonging, and the specific experience of growing up Muslim in America with precision and without sentimentality.
The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi and A Bit of Earth by Karuna Riazi both offer Muslim girl protagonists in genuinely literary middle grade fiction — the kind of books that win awards and deserve to.
Every title on this list is in stock at Maktabah Bookshop and available for shipping across the United States. DFW families can also find many of these titles at our book fairs at Islamic schools across North Texas.