In My Mosque

PreS-Gr 3--This beautifully illustrated picture book, with its straightforward text, goes a long way to gently inform readers about a religion and sector of society many of them outside the faith of Islam might not encounter. Yuksel follows a young boy as he goes to his mosque on Friday, the holy day for Muslims. The perspective remains that of a child. In the mosque are rooms for prayer, meeting with fellow worshipers, rooms to gather food from food drives and other charity events, and even places for the children to play. Their prayers focus on unity among all people, and peace, love, and joy for all. They believe that, although religions may differ, we all come from the same creator. The artwork takes its cues from Middle Eastern motifs and was created digitally using scans of washes, inks, textures, and patterns. Arabic is used in certain places and those phrases are explained in the generous back matter of the book. Pair this with David Macaulay's Mosque for a detailed, architectural look at these spaces. VERDICT This marvelous, welcoming book on mosques, Muslims, and Islam is a must, offering foundational knowledge on the world's second largest religion.--Joan Kindig, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA