Going to Mecca - Hardcover

Robert, Na'ima B.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847801536 ISBN 13: 9781847801531

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2012

Synopsis

"Come with the pilgrims
as they set out on a journey,
a journey of patience
to the city of Mecca."

We are led on the journey of a lifetime to the city of Mecca — the pilgrimage known to Muslims as the Hajj. The pilgrims walk with heads bare and feet in sandals; they call to Allah; they kiss or point to the Black Stone, as the Prophet did. Arriving at Mecca, they surge round the Ka'aba, shave their heads and travel to Mount Arafat. Finally, though their bodies are tired and aching, their spirits are uplifted, knowing that with thousands of others they have performed the sacred pilgrimage.

This is a window on to a sacred journey for Muslims the world over — beautifully described and illustrated for younger children.

About this title

About the Author

Na’ima B Robert is descended from Scottish Highlanders on her father's side and the Zulu people on her mother's side. She was brought up in Zimbabwe and went on to university in London.
Her novels for teens, From Somalia with Love and Boy vs Girl were warmly received by reviewers, as was her picture book Ramadan Moon, illustrated by Shirin Adl. Robert has four children and divides her time between London and Cairo.
Valentina Cavallini was born and brought up in Milan, Italy. She studied Illustration at Chelsea School of Art and Design and the University of the West of England, Bristol, where she now lives. In 2007 her illustrations were chosen for the Bologna Book Fair Illustrators' Exhibition and toured Japan and Korea. Going to Mecca is Cavallini's first published picture book.

Reviews

A Muslim family living in London joins thousands of others as they make the yearly sacred pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Mecca. The text invites children to perform the same activities as the pilgrims, described in one free-verse poem per spread: “Stand with the pilgrims / As they face the Ka’bah, / Head bare, feet in sandals, / With thousands of others.” The text is lyrical, but the lyricism comes at a price: what’s actually happening is pretty vague. Throughout, it’s tough to figure out where the pilgrims are on the nine-day journey, and unfamiliar terms like Black Stone and As-Safaa aren’t explained until a concluding glossary. The cut-paper mixed-media art, however, nicely presents the wide range of pilgrims, from those in wheelchairs to the youngest children, and captures the sheer number of “Strangers, sisters. / Strangers, brothers” united in their faith. Those who share this will want to have prior knowledge of Islam; otherwise, there will be more questions than answers. Grades 1-4. --Ann Kelley

Edition details

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847801536
• ISBN 13: 9781847801531
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Cavallini Valentina
• Number of pages: 32