  | Salat in secret Author: Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
A story about a Muslim boy who receives a salat (prayer) rug on his seventh birthday and becomes empowered about his faith.
| Illustrator: | Aly, Hatem |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (04/15/23)
School Library Journal (04/01/23)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/06/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 04/01/2023 PreS-Gr 3—Muhammad is Muslim, and on his seventh birthday he receives a rug to use when he performs salat, or praying. Salat follows a prescribed sequence of movements and occurs five times every day within stipulated time periods. One of the times for praying comes during the school day, and Muhammad is concerned about finding a secluded place in which to perform his prayers. He has watched his father worship alongside his ice cream truck and be laughed at by those who see him, and this makes the boy afraid to ask his teacher about a spot for him in which to pray. "Would Mrs. Baker think salat is funny?" Something happens one evening when he observes his father praying that results in the boy plucking up the courage to talk with his teacher. Cheerful illustrations in spreads and smaller vignettes show a multicultural town and school, as well as Muhammad's brown-skinned family, which includes his father, his mother in a hijab, and young siblings. VERDICT For anyone who has ever felt a little inhibited by a family or cultural ritual, this title will be welcome and even cherished; it will also inform some readers about Islam and explain a bit more about the practice of prayer.—Maryann H. Owen - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
