Muslim parents ask us this more than anything else: what should my child be reading right now? The honest answer depends on age and temperament, so here is what we actually recommend at each stage — books we carry because we believe in them, not because someone asked us to stock them.
Ages 0 to 2: Board Books That Earn Their Place
The best board books for Muslim babies do one thing well. They introduce a single idea — Allah's love, the Arabic alphabet, a simple dua — in language that is warm without being saccharine. Our top picks at this stage are Allah Knows All About Me by Learning Roots, which builds a natural sense of Allah's closeness through the ordinary moments of a baby's day, and The ABC of Allah Loves Me, which pairs each letter with one of Allah's names in a way children can grow into.
For touch-and-feel engagement, My Touch and Feel Alif Baa Taa is the best Arabic alphabet board book we have found in English. Thick pages, sensory materials, and Islamic vocabulary from the first word.
Ages 3 to 5: Picture Books with Real Stories
This is the age range with the most strong titles in Muslim children's literature right now. A few that belong on every shelf:
Ramadan Around the World by Ndaa Hassan shows children that Muslims look different everywhere and that the ummah is genuinely global. Beautiful for Ramadan but useful year-round.
Snatched by Asmaa Hussein is a hadith-grounded story about honesty and making amends — one of the few children's books that actually teaches fiqh concepts through narrative rather than lecture.
Ahmed and the Very Stuck Teapot by Sarah Musa handles the theme of kindness to animals with lightness and genuine humor. Children ask to hear it again.
The Green Dinosaur Umbrella by Amina Banawan is a Hajj story, but it reads as an adventure. The umbrella changes hands across the pilgrimage crowd in a way that shows children what Hajj feels like as a community event.
Ages 6 to 8: Early Readers Who Want More
The Planet Omar series by Zanib Mian is the entry point. All four books feature a Muslim boy with a vivid imagination navigating school, friendship, and faith — funny, fast, and illustrated throughout. Start with Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet and go from there.
The Eliyas Explains series, also by Zanib Mian, works differently: Eliyas narrates directly to the reader about Islamic concepts — angels, miracles, why we pray — with the same humor and zero condescension. Strong for children who are curious about their faith and want real answers, not summaries.
For something quieter, Nusaiba and the 5th Grade Bullies by Asmaa Hussein handles identity and resilience through a story that respects children's intelligence.
Ages 9 to 12: Middle Grade That Holds Up
This is where Muslim children's literature has made the biggest gains in the last five years. Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi is a National Book Award finalist told in verse — a seventh-grade Syrian American boy between countries, loyalties, and choices. It reads fast and stays with you.
Hena Khan's work is the standard for this age group: Amina's Voice remains the most widely loved, but the Zayd Saleem and Zara's Rules series are equally strong for readers who want series fiction.
Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf is a Malaysian retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with a weretiger and a thirteen-year-old protagonist who has had enough of everyone's rules. For children who want fantasy alongside cultural grounding.
Ages 13 and Up: Young Adult Worth Reading
Tagging Freedom by Rhonda Roumani follows two cousins — one in Syria tagging messages of resistance, one in the United States navigating her social life — whose worlds collide. It takes the Arab Spring seriously without being heavy-handed.
Better, Not Bitter by Yusef Salaam is a memoir from one of the Exonerated Five about wrongful imprisonment, faith, and what it means to channel anger into purpose. For older teens ready for a book that asks something of them.
For adults, A Temporary Gift by Asmaa Hussein — journal entries from the two years after her husband was killed at a protest in Egypt — is one of the most honest books about grief and faith we carry.
Browse the full catalog by age group at maktabahbookshop.com.