Hana's Hundreds of Hijabs

November 1, 2022

K-Gr 4-Hana loves to collect hijabs. She gets new ones everywhere, from the stores to upcycling her mom's old skirts. She also has an overflowing collection of accessories to style her hijabs-something she spends hours doing. Not only does this make her chronically late, but her hijabs and accessories are taking over the house. After visiting Aunty Huda's hair salon and seeing how confident the customers feel afterward, Hana starts offering her styling services to a long line of clients, using her creativity and extra supplies to spread joy, not just through hijab, but all types of headwear. This delightful story of a child learning to declutter and share her talents features an ethnically diverse array of characters and a wide variety of head coverings from different styles of hijab to hats, headphones, and hair accessories. Brightly colored illustrations show the beauty and variety of Hana's collection while reflecting her spark and energy and how she expresses herself through her hijab. VERDICT A vibrant tale of spreading joy and beauty that's sure to be a hit with young fashionistas.-Jennifer Rothschild

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July 15, 2022
Hana's overflowing collection of scarves and accessories have led to endless clutter. Hana finds fabulous hijabs everywhere, from malls to thrift shops; she even repurposes her mother's old skirts. Combinations of colorful scarves, dresses, accessories, and jewelry result in ensembles in a variety of styles and earn her the praise of her friends and relatives, who ask for her fashion advice. But soon her amassed collection overflows into the rest of her home, and her punctilious styling results in her constantly being late to school. Hana reflects on the importance of hijab and how it makes her feel special. After observing her aunt styling a customer's hair and the positive and powerful effect it has, Hana is inspired to think of how she can channel her creativity in a more productive way and provide a service to the community. Simple text is paired with warm-colored illustrations of flowing fabric in a multitude of patterns, colors, and textures and accessories that work to showcase the range of variations in hijabi fashion as well as how Hana celebrates and expresses the endless possibilities of her individual style. In the backmatter, the author and the illustrator answer questions about what hijab means to them as well as their own styling preferences. Hana and her family are tan-skinned and Muslim; her friends are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A fun and charming introduction to the beauty of hijab. (Picture book. 4-8)

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September 1, 2022
Grades K-1 Gutta's debut picture book introduces little readers to a fashionista who absolutely loves styling her hijabs. To Hana, the more hijabs, the merrier: ""Hana is an artist, and her hijab is her canvas."" She is so talented that she becomes her friends' fashion consultant. But there are two problems--clutter and tardiness! Her ensembles are time-consuming, causing her to always be late, and her excessive collection is also taking up too much space. She launches an idea inspired by her aunt at the hair salon: she wants to help women feel beautiful. She promotes her ""hijab-able"" skills, giving away her ""vibrant collection of hijabs and gems,"" and it's a hit! She's never late when attending to her clients, resolving her punctuality and clutter problem. Mirza's warm and vibrant artwork is highly decorative, with lots of patterns and embellishments that make every page a rainbow of fabrics. Kids who love fashion or aspiring entrepreneurs will appreciate this lively story. An appendix offers some more background about hijabs and the creators' own preferred hijab styles.

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