Large format non-fiction children's book describes the history of Islam and how this religion is practiced and celebrated around the world.

I really enjoyed this informational book because it had gorgeous photographs and the text was very engaging. This book taught me a lot of new information about Islamic culture and how it is practiced throughout the world. The text is divided into chapters that talk about different aspects of Islam. Some of these sections include the development of Islam, political Islam and Islamic customs. The photographs and diagrams went along with each page, and were very detailed. For instance, on one page a blue mosque is presented, and shows different parts of the religious building. One part includes a detail that states, “The fountain in the courtyard was used for ritual ablutions. This is now done at faucets outside the walls of the mosque.” I like how the text includes both past and present information. This book taught me that Islamic people are separated into different branches of the Islamic faith. Some of these branches include the Sunni and the Shiite. Islamic people separated themselves into these groups after there was a disagreement over who should lead the Muslim community, following the death of the Prophet. Soon after, the Sunni and the Shiites divided into more groups, which I feel that other religions can relate to. For instance, there are many different types of Christianity as well as Judaism. Also I liked how the photographs included all types of Islamic people, including those of different races. This showed me that the Islamic faith is very diverse and is practiced worldwide. I thought that it was appropriate that the book included a glossary and index, since some Arabic words were hard to pronounce.
I feel that the main idea of this book is to help readers understand Islamic traditions and the religion itself. This book provided all types of information about Islam, and included a ton of facts and specific historical events. Overall, I feel that this book can help people understand more about the history of Islam and how it is still practiced today. ( )