Monday 19 November 2012

The Perfect Flower Girl by Taghred Chandab and Binny Talib (Children's, Picture book, 10/10)




November 2012, Allen & Unwin
32 pages, Hardback
Review copy

Themes: Muslim wedding, Lebanese culture, pre-wedding celebrations, religious and civil ceremonies, beautiful outfits, girls only events, nerves, family relationships, lots of excitement,

Summary from Frances Lincoln

Amani is going to be a flower girl, leading the bride and groom, stepping exactly, one, two, three…

She’s counting the days, and there’s so much to do: cooking with Tayta, visiting the dressmaker, dancing at the party with all the bride’s friends.

But when the wedding day comes, and all the guests are waiting, will Amani be the perfect flower girl?

Nayuleska's thoughts

I adore this book! The style of illustrations are soft colours with a feminine feel. The outfits worn by Amani and the bride are quite something, I could almost feel what they would have felt like on real fabric. I love how the universal features of a Muslim wedding are explained, as well as the parts which are Lebanese culture that may not be in all Muslim weddings. 

The sense of excitement is palpable on each page, along with nerves which feature in any wedding, no matter the religion or customs. It's a 10/10 read which many readers will treasure, hoping their own weddings will be just as exquisite.
 
Suggested read

For another book looking at Islamic practices check out Hamda's story of finding her own style of wearing hijab in My Own Special Way by Mithaa Alkhayyat, retold by Vivian French  (headscarf worn by a lot of Muslim women). 


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