Going to Mecca

This children’s picture book follows a Muslim family on a pilgrimage to Mecca. It illustrates and describes the sacred sites and customs that are part of the Hajj (pilgrimage). The book would fit many public and school library collections. It might be useful to share with children before a journey to Mecca to prepare them for what they will see and experience.

I liked this book because of its writing and that it pushes readers to broaden their perspectives. On each page of the story, the writing was always found in a different place. Even though the text did not rhyme, it still felt as if I was reading poetry because of how the sentences were arranged and the use capitalization. For example one portion of the text read, “But, even so, their hearts race, And their souls soar high and free, For they have made that journey: Feet in sandals, heads bare, With thousands of others, Strangers, sisters, Strangers, brothers.” I liked how the words flowed, because it made the text sound more descriptive and detailed. The story also included Arabic words and phrases. Even though the writing made show more sense, I still had a hard time understanding the purpose of the pilgrimage. If the book did not include background information on the last page, I would not have completely understood the story. I feel that this book can help push readers to broaden their perspectives because this book tells a story that is a big part of the Muslim faith. The last page explained that the pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the pillars of the Islamic faith, and why the Hajj is an important story. Lastly, I liked how the story was written, and thought it was well paced. For instance, the text and illustrations were like a guide to me, each page showed a part of the pilgrimage and made me want to keep on reading.
The main idea of this story is to learn about the Hajj faith, and how the pilgrims traveled to Mecca. The events in the book can definitely be believable, if the reader is of the Muslim faith, or chooses to believe in the Hajj. From not knowing anything about the journey to Mecca, this book taught me a lot about the Hajj and Islam culture, and why this story is important to the religion. show less

In my opinion, this is a good book. I feel this way because of the illustrations and the language that was displayed throughout the story. The illustrations depicted the actions the pilgrims were taking through each phase of their journey, perfectly. For example, when arriving at Mecca, the picture shows all of the pilgrims bowing down toward the symbolic monument, praying. This helped me to visualize what exactly the pilgrims do during that time. Also in the images, the pilgrims are all different shades of color, representing peoples from different races. This aided my understanding of the significance the pilgrimage has on so many people. The language throughout the story was extremely descriptive, and captured my attention in wanting show more to read further. For each phase of the pilgrimage, the author went into great detail about what the people were to do. At the end of the book, the author included a glossary of important Arabic words, and explains what each of them means. The main idea of this story is to teach children about the rituals of Hajj. Though the culture may not suit every child’s religion, it sheds a light on a culture that is practiced by many people, and is interesting to learn about. show less

This book is really well laid out and designed. I thought that the way that the text was inside of the pictures and artwork was very aesthetically pleasing and well done. I also noticed how much I disagreed with the portrayal of the pilgrimage because of what I have heard and seen about how hectic and chaotic it really often is. Either way, it was interesting to see how much I was challenging the content, even thoughtI am not a Muslim.

One thing I liked about this book is its poetry format. I think it sets the book apart from other books that talk about Muslim traditions. Students are able to learn about a new writing medium, while at the same time learning about another culture. When I was in school the poetry I learned was supposed to rhyme, but this book shows another way to write poetry and I like that too. Another thing I liked about the book is that it includes extra information on the back page. For example, it mentions The Black Stone, and explains what it is. The message is simple; the Muslim tradition of pilgrimage brings people closer together. This is shown through the words "Strangers, sisters, Strangers, brothers" near the end.

An affirming book of the Islamic faith for Muslim children and families, as well as an introduction to those unfamiliar with the religion (there is a short glossary of terms in the back, but background will need to be provided when sharing this story with non-adherents). The illustrations portray believers of all skin shades, subtly informing the reader that Muslims are not of one certain ethnicity or physical appearance.

A lyrical, pleasantly illustrated story about what a Muslim family goes to Mecca for the Hajj. A great introduction this pillar of the Islamic faith.