My Name Is Bilal

by Mobin-Uddin, Asma; Kiwak, Barbara

• ISBN13: 9781590781753
• ISBN10: 1590781759
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-08-01
• Publisher: Astra Young Readers

Summary

Bilal worries about being teased by his classmates for being Muslim. He thinks maybe it would be better if people don't know he is Muslim. Maybe it would be best if he tells kids his name is Bill rather than Bilal. Then maybe they would leave him alone. Mr. Ali, one of Bilal's teachers and also Muslim, sees how the boy is struggling. He gives Bilal a book about the first person to give the call to prayer during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. That person was another Bilal: Bilal Ibn Rabah. What Bilal learns from the book forms the compelling story of a young boy wrestling with his identity.

Author Biography

Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin is a pediatrician and an active member of her local Muslim community. She decided to write about the Muslim-American experience because she had difficulty finding good books on this subject to read to her children.

Barbara Kiwak is a commercial illustrator whose clients have included Time-Life, Readers Digest, Highlights for Children, and The World Wildlife Fund. She has had numerous showings of her fine art in the Baltimore/Washington area, where she makes her home.