Finders
Keepers and Other Stories
&
The
Seafaring Beggar and Other Tales
If you and your students or children are tired of those anthologies that promise excitement from cover to cover, pick up a copy of Finders Keepers and Other Stories, and The Seafaring Beggar and Other Tales. These two school appropriate anthologies have made their way to the forefront of the Islamic School Syllabi, and I'm going to tell you why.
These two anthologies are being reviewed together because each has the same strong points as the other. The only difference between the two is the grade level that they are meant for. Finders Keepers and Other Stories is geared towards a grade level of four and five. The Seafaring Beggar and Other Tales is more applicable for grades six and seven. No matter which one you choose, your kids are going to love these stories.
What makes these two books great is the type of stories that are told. The Muslim world is full of many people from different backgrounds who face small or sometimes difficult hardships. These two books address certain issues that some of us can relate to or if not, bring to mind what problems some Muslims face on a day to day basis.
The Seafaring
Beggar and Other Tales opens up with a strong story of prejudice and ignorance on a
college campus. "Salvation for Certain" presents the difficult task that some
Muslims go through when trying to explain the belief of Islam to those whose hearts are to
hard to understand the truth. "The Knock" illustrates the haunting reality of
the those Muslims who have strayed away from Islam and the effects of such straying.
On a
lighter note, young readers will also get to see the beginnings of a new Muslim community
in a society of American Indians, brought to them by an African Muslim, Abdul Rahman. Such
themes can also be found in Finders Keepers and Other Stories but on a more
elementary level.
See how a young Hispanic-Muslim deals with students who are mean to him because he is not from their culture. Wait till you find out what surprise he has in store for them. Also, see how far a young girl will go to learn Kung-Fu from her older brother. She learns some cool information that I'm sure many young sisters will be surprised to hear.
These books provide teachers, parents and students the opportunity to discuss topics that may not have come up before in a Muslim household. Isn't that what good literature is supposed to do, start conversations?
ORDER THESE BOOKS FROM: Astrolabe
