In My Mosque written by M.O. Yuksel, illustrated by Hatem Aly

“You are welcome in my mosque.”

In My Mosque is a beautifully written and vibrantly illustrated picture book. From the cover to the last page in the book, the words and pictures are intentional and beautiful. The story is written in a child’s perspective about how warm & loved they are being surrounded by family, the activities and services that occur in the mosque and seeing other children & adults following the rituals & traditions of the Islam faith.

As my children and I get a small glimpse of this community, it was a chance for me to talk to my children about Islam as a religion and their place of practice. My children had a lot of questions and were very immersed in the pictures and story.

The last few pages educate farther about mosques as a place of worship for Muslims. There is a glossary, author’s note and I really appreciated that he included a few of the world’s most famous mosques. I truly believe that in education, we can hope to lessen fear and hatred.

Artist Hatem Aly’s illustrations are nothing less of exquisite and the illustrated children’s faces are adorable and imitates real life. When my young children are in church/mass, they get easily distracted too! I get so mad at them but realize that it happens to all children in every religion in every place of practice.