Review: Muhammad

Demi. Muhammad. New York: McElderry Books, 2003.

Muhammad is an informational children’s picture book about the Prophet Muhammad. The story begins by telling the story of how Muhammad was born in Mecca and taken to the desert to be raised by a nurse for five years and be in the open air because this is what would make a child strong. Muhammad’s mother died when he was six, and so he was taken in by his grandfather who believed his grandson would be a great leader one day and later by his uncle. The story then tells of how on a journey to Syria, Muhammad was met a Christian hermit who predicting that Muhammad would become a great prophet. Muhammad was an honest man who spent much of his time thinking about the world around him and how people should treat one another fairly. One night he receives a revelation from God, and the story goes on to tell about the rest of his life and how he was God’s messenger and how he strenghtened the voice of Islam by converting followers and sharing the words of the Koran. He was brought to God’s light and learned about the five daily prayers that followers were to make. He built a mosque, made many journeys and granted religious tolerance to Christians and Jewish people. The illustrations that accompany this text are done in a very thoughtful way. Demi does not “create graven images” which is in Islamic tradition a commandment, but she rather uses a shadow like image (a “Persian miniature”) throughout the text with no intention of competing with God as Creator. The illustrations are bright, colorful and express the Prophet Muhammad and his followers in a positive way.
This is an excellent diverse piece of informational literature. This story is just as much entertaining as it is informational. Regardless of religion, sex, or age, all people can benefit from reading this story. It is done in a very tactful way which does not give bias to any one religion. Rather it gives fact and promotes peace and tolerance amongst and for other religions. This story shows the Prophet’s life from an early age, and allows the reader to follow his life journey which gives a better understanding of Islam. Throughout this journey he encounters people of different religions and there is never any conflict in these encounters. This is an excellent example for all people, especially students when the unfortunate amount of religious intolerance in this world is taken into account. This would be a great book to use to not only learn from, but also to promote tolerance with.