Children's Book Week 2023: 'At my home' and Islamic reading tips

The Dutch Children's Book Week (Kinderboekenweek) 2023 was all about the theme 'At my home' (Bij mij thuis). Although that Children's Book Week is now over, the theme remains relevant: what makes a house a home, which habits belong to a family, and how do children experience the differences between families?

Islamic children's books can offer recognition and at the same time introduce children to other families, places and experiences.

Home is more than a house

For children, 'home' can be about parents and siblings, but also about rituals, food, language, celebrations, faith and daily habits. A good story makes such topics easy to talk about without immediately turning them into a lesson.

After reading, ask for example: What do you recognise from our home? What is different for this character? And what do you think is important about home?

Books that make the world bigger

A theme like home works especially well in combination with adventure. In Yasin gaat op wereldreis (Yasin travels the world, Dutch edition), travelling is central, which lets children think about differences between places and about what feels familiar.

Imaginative stories can also offer a way in. Planeet Omar: Fantastische reddingsmissie (the Dutch edition of a Planet Omar adventure) combines adventure with a recognisable everyday world.

Faith and stories

For children who want to learn more about stories from Islam, Stories of the Prophets is a suitable choice in English; in Dutch there is Profeet Ibrahim's zoektocht naar Allah (Prophet Ibrahim's search for Allah). During Ramadan, a story like Ramadan in de Ruimte (Ramadan in Space, Dutch edition) can help connect faith with the joy of reading.

How to turn reading into a conversation

• Let your child first tell you what they thought of the story.
• Ask open questions instead of testing whether everything was remembered.
• Compare the characters with your own family without suggesting that one situation is the norm.
• Let children draw or write their own 'at my home' page.
• Choose books that suit both age and reading level.

More Islamic children's books

Want to search further by age and topic? See the Islamic children's books collection, our Top 25 children's books or, for titles in English, our English Islamic books.

A theme book doesn't have to be read only during Children's Book Week. Good stories about family, identity and faith remain valuable all year round.