Is it Ramadan, Curious George? International Muslims Read Children’s Books Depicting Islam

This study examines mixed methods data from thirty-five Muslim teachers from twenty countries regarding ten popular children’s books depicting Islam and Muslim cultures and communities. The reader-participants had a keen eye for stereotypes and praised anti-bias counter-narratives. Authorial authenticity was found to be especially valuable as non-Muslims generally created the most criticized books. Finally, since there are different interpretations of Islam and cultural diversity among Muslims, no single book was found complete and beyond critique. As with all children’s books, these books need to be read in complementary groups with attention to addressing and compensating for the weaknesses of each book.