Sister Friend

March 15, 2024
Preschool-Grade 2 Ever since starting school a few months ago, Ameena has felt unseen by her classmates. No one can say her name, and they tend to ignore her. Is it because her skin is brown or because she is Muslim? She doesn't know. When a girl named Sundus joins the class, Ameena notices that the new girl's skin is brown, too, and, wearing a hijab, she is surely Muslim. Ameena wants to befriend her, but in her first attempt, her words come out wrong, and Sundus feels offended. Watching their mothers meet at the mosque on family night, Ameena hears Momma greet Sundus' mother by saying, "Assalamu Alaikum, Sister. Welcome!" At recess the next day, Ameena says the same phrase to Sundus, and the two lonely girls become "sister friends." When Ameena has a hard time communicating, the narrator observes, "Sometimes a mouth doesn't work right when too many excited words are in it," gracefully acknowledging the complexity of communications and relationships, while the illustrations capture every nuance of the characters' emotions in this moving picture book.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2024
After being excluded by her peers, a girl finally makes a friend. The only student with brown skin and her hair in twists, Ameena always plays alone at school. "No one saw her. No one heard her. Or maybe they did. They just didn't show it. She wasn't sure." When they aren't ignoring her, the other kids look at her like she's strange. But one day, there's a new student named Sundus in her class. "Ameena saw her brownness. Saw her hijab, like the ones Ameena also wore to masjid. Saw it was the color of spring, the color of lilacs." Ameena is not alone! The potential for friendship is there, but Ameena must first learn how to approach and communicate with Sundus, who mistakes Ameena's initial clumsy overture for a taunt. But a tender moment between their mothers during a visit to the masjid, witnessed by Ameena, offers a blueprint for the language of friendship. Maydani's sweetly hazy illustrations, which alternate between light pastels and darker shades, capture the characters' evolving emotions. Thompkins-Bigelow's words resonate deeply and convey feelings of isolation, exclusion, and joyful acceptance. Details such as the cornrowed braids in Ameena's hair and the depiction of the imam as a Black man with a beard add texture and normalize Black Muslim representation in children's literature. A powerful exploration of what it means to be welcomed, seen, and accepted. (Picture book. 5-9)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from May 13, 2024
At her new school, every day is “play-by-herself day” for Ameena: “Was it the twists in her hair? Her brown skin? No one else in class had twists and brownness.” Ameena sees a possible companion in new student Sundus, portrayed with brown skin and wearing a lilac-hued hijab, but a well-meaning greeting goes awkwardly awry, and Ameena is called a copycat by classmates when she wears her own hijab to school in hopes of connecting with Sundus. The masjid on family night is the one place Ameena doesn’t feel alone, and it’s there that an encounter with Sundus leads to an in-school welcome and a growing bond. Thompkins-Bigelow’s sweetly complex treatise speaks to experiences of loneliness and marginalization as well as of kinship and joy. In saturated, chalky textures, Maydani draws the girls’ intent expressions against moody backgrounds that lead to scenes of heartfelt friendship. Background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4–8.

July 26, 2024

K-Gr 2-A touching picture book of cultural connection, embracing differences, and finding that very special friend. Little Ameena feels invisible at her new school-always settling for "play-by-herself" days-as she notices how her brownness stands out against the fair complexions of her classmates, and she is repeatedly excluded. She feels this way for months, until a new student named Sundus joins the class in her beautiful, vibrant hijab. As Sundus settles into her new surroundings, Ameena is excited to connect with a fellow student of color, but finds this increasingly difficult as Sundus's uneasiness hinders interactions with others. But, with the right words, a sisterhood is born: "Assalamu Alaikum, Sister. Welcome." Maydani's illustrations pair perfectly with Bigelow's story, as whimsical pinks, oranges, and greens dance across the pages where Ameena and Sundus are at the forefront, while darker colors depict the girls' classmates. VERDICT A wonderful addition to any elementary setting, as well as the perfect partner read with a special friend.-Kerra Mazzariello

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
Since starting at her new school, Ameena has felt invisible and alone. "Was it the twists in her hair? Her brown skin? No one else in class had twists and brownness." Now there's another new girl, Sundus, who seems similarly lonely. She's Muslim (and wears a hijab), like Ameena (who wears a hijab to masjid), but that doesn't make them automatic friends. Realistic-sounding text and textured illustrations, which look rendered in colored pencils and pastels, depict authentic childlike encounters and emotions, leading to a rewardingly earned friendship.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)