Today I’m excited to be coming to you from Wisconsin;
check out this doorway to greatness that found me.
Title: Abdul’s Story
Author: Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Illustrator: Tiffany Rose
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster For Young Readers
Birth date: March 29, 2022
Themes: writing, confidence, growth mindset
Brief synopsis: Abdul has a great imagination and his friends love listening to his stories, but when it comes to writing his ideas down? Well, now that’s a different story.
Opening sentence: Abdul loved to tell stories.
Resources:
Why I like this book: I connect with Abdul’s Story on quite a few levels; first, he’s a lefty, like me (though they changed my handedness when I was young). Second, Abdul erases holes in his paper, just like our son Jacob did. Third, he never saw himself in stories, a need that I’m tackling in my Equity sessions. And finally, Abdul is a storyteller who thinks he can’t because of the mistakes he’s making. Kids who struggle with dyslexia may see themselves in the text because Abdul has letter reversals and the letters move around on him. I love the way this author weaves a solution into the story, by bringing an author to visit the school to help boost Abdul’s courage and confidence. When I’m on author visits, I always tell the students that writing is really just talking on paper, to help them understand that there’s not a magic formula for getting your stories down. The author who visits in this story does something similar to encourage, equip and empower Abdul. As a bonus, there are cultural connections that will serve as mirrors for Muslim children as well as windows for those of us who want to know more about them.
another gem by this same inspiring author.
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