Like the Moon Loves the Sky

A Muslim picture book that is both enchanting and expressive of the Quran, this will go some way to helping children understand about the beauty of spiritual texts and also about faith itself. The author explains that the word ‘inshallah’ is something Muslims use constantly in their prayers. It means ‘if God wills it’, and it appears at the beginning of each of the rhyming couplets that occur throughout the book. The story begins with a young couple with their baby: ‘Inshallah you are all that is gentle and good. Inshallah you feel safe, like all children should.’ As the child grows, the mother’s blessings follow – her hopes that the child will be kind and strong, that he or she will plant gardens and have faith, speak truth and travel to new places, have ‘blessings and graces’. And, finally, Inshallah you find wonder in birds as they fly. Inshallah you are loved, like the moon loves the sky.’ The pictures, full of warm reds, oranges and yellows – with green too – are soft, gentle and loving, as is the lyrical text, inspired by the Quran. There could be no better way of introducing young children to a faith that may well be different from their own and to the fact that mothers of all faiths and cultures want the best for their children.