Farhana Islam was born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne and currently residing in Birmingham, UK. She is a primary school teacher with a passion for telling stories and empowering diverse voices. Noor Needs to Know! is her debut picture book.

Nabila Adani lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, and enjoys illustrating different cultures around the world. She originally studied industrial product design in Bandung Institute of Technology, earning her degree in 2013, yet found her way into illustration later in life.

Noor doesn't wear a hijab yet, and she wants to know why the women in her family wear them. But her auntie, grandmas, and big sister are all busy and respond the same: "Not now, Noor. . . .Go ask somebody else!" Finally, Noor asks her Ammu, who sits her down and tells her about the strength of Muslim women and about how her hijab reminds her of where she's from. Now that she has more information, "maybe, just maybe" one day she'll wear one too. While the explanation of the hijab is more poetic than precise, Adani's hand-painted illustrations bring life to each character, and all the women in the story are imbued with individual identities through both their expressive faces and the different ways (tough, cool, nosy) that Noor views each of her family members. The curiosity of a child who has a million questions and an enormous imagination is further explored through the images in Noor's thought bubbles, and Noor's wide-eyed expressions, messy hair, and mismatched socks make her a compelling little protagonist. The book's multiple two-page spreads are particularly jubilant, both when Noor and her Ammu get swept away in a wave of pastel flowers during their discussion and when the family gathers around the table in joyful cacophony. The book's celebration of both the hijab and the different ways it's worn makes this a perfect storytime pick for a classroom of curious kiddos. --BCCB "5/1/24"

Publisher: Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for You

Pub date: 2024-05-21

Length: 32 pages