Summary
This story follows two sisters, Asiya and Faizah, on the first day of school which is also Asiya’s first day of hijab. Faizah looks up to her older sister and finds her new hijab to be beautiful, however, she is confused that not everyone at school feels the same way. When Faziah hears other kids making hurtful comments about her sister’s hijab, she realizes not everyone will understand their culture. Their sisterhood overpowers the ignorant comments and proves that family can overcome anything.
Theme(s):
Family, Prejudice, Traditions
Personal Response
I thought this was a really beautiful and heartwarming story that shows the impact of family and sisterhood. The illustrations were very eye catching. This story reminded me of The Day You Begin, it’s the first day of school for a young girl in the story. Both stories follow girls trying to navigate their way through life as minorities with other students who do not understand their cultures. It was educational for me since before reading the story I did not know there was a first hijab day.
Teaching Ideas
This is a great book to incorporate on one of the first days of school. It can be a social- emotional lesson for students to learn how to be respectful of their peers. It is a story about the Muslim culture and can help students understand culture and some of their peers who may wear hijabs. Additionally, this story can be used to introduce a Muslim holiday. While we have time off from school for Muslim holidays, not many students who are not Muslim know why the holiday is significant.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03
