Title: Fatima’s Great Outdoors
Author: Ambreen Tariq
Illustrator: Stevie Lewis
Format: hardcover
Available: Amazon, Indigo, or at the Toronto Public Library
Islam Content: none explicitly other than a Muslim family, mention of halal meat.
Summary: Fatima and her family go camping, something that no one they know does. But Fatima loves it and enjoys the experience a lot.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
This book captures the beauty of camping…and the strangeness of the experience to many immigrant families.
The natural world around us is filled with such beauty…a stunning sign of Allah’s Power. But for many people in our community, it’s a luxury that they don’t have the time or the know-how to pull off.
The author paints the world of the second-generation immigrants…who know about these experiences but have no family experiences to go off of.
The natural world beckons…its beauty a balm and antidote to the stress of daily life. And it’s only now for us to break that barrier and embrace it.
The Muslim identity of the Khazi family is not the focus, it’s just the norm for this story and that’s why I love the book even more. Anyone can read it, but our little Muslim bipoc children WILL see themselves in it without a doubt.
(The author is the founder of @brownpeoplecamping a movement to diversify outdoor spaces)
Fatima’s Great Outdoors
