Brightly shining Silver Star,
Who has made you as you are?
Sparkling over land and sea,
High above the highest trees.
Allah created you and me
In truth so perfectly.
- “Silver Star” by Mustafa Yusuf McDermont in Muslim Nursery Rhymes (2002)
Muslim Nursery Rhymes is a collection of fifteen rhymes for the very young. The rhymes introduce infants and young children to Islam (Allah and salah (prayer) for example) and a Muslim’s way of life (going to masjid and sharing for example).
There is a lack of Islamic poetry and rhymes for young children in the English-speaking world. Research shows that babies and very young children enjoy the rhythm of rhymes. Muslim Nursery Rhymes has filled a much-needed gap in providing parents and teachers with lovely rhymes based on Islamic themes. These rhymes could be read and sung to babies and young children.
Bread Man! Bread Man!Have you any bread?
Yes son! Yes son!
Three rolls of bread;
One for your family,
One for the school and
One for that poor old man
Who lives with his mule.
- “Bread Man!, Bread Man!” by Mustafa Yusuf McDermont in Muslim Nursery Rhymes (2002)
Muslim Nursery Rhymes is based on traditional English rhymes such as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’, ‘One, Two, Buckle My Shoe’ and ‘Baa, Baa, Black Sheep’. It does not matter if one is unfamiliar with these rhymes since they can be read aloud or chanted with almost equal appeal to babies and young children.
Title: Muslim Nursery Rhymes
Illustrator: Terry Norridge-Austen
Publisher: The Islamic Foundation
Date: 2002
ISBN: 0860373428
No. of pages: 29 pages
Age Group: 0 – 4 (Read aloud); 4 – 6 (Read on own)
