Children’s author Hudda Ibrahim (“Lula Wants to Wear a Badge” and “What Color is My Hijab?”) will read her books, interact with the kids and share her inspiration at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library. The event will include an author talk by Hudda Ibrahim, activities to engage children, sambusas and tea. Fifty copies of Ibrahim’s children’s books will be given away on a first come first serve basis.
Ibrahim’s publishing company, Diverse Voices Press, is an independent publishing company and social enterprise based in Minnesota, with a mission to publish inclusive books by underrepresented voices. They work with anyone interested in non-fiction, fiction, and young readers books. They are passionate about empowering and educating readers and writers of all ages with stories that affirm the value of multiculturalism, multilingualism, and every identity in between.
“Lula Wants to Wear a Badge” is about a black Somali Muslim girl who dreams to be a police officer when she grows up, but she encounters some pushback from her classmates. It takes some surprising help to reveal that stereotypes are just something that come from other people that ultimately mean nothing, and that they shouldn’t hold you back from pursuing your dreams. “What Color is My Hijab?” features professional women wearing their colorful hijabs. Ibrahim got the idea for this book from her then 7-year-old niece, who posed the question, “Aunty, why don’t I see characters that look like me in the books I read?” Ibrahim got to work on creating a book for her and other children. She says, “I wanted to write something for the Muslim community to embrace, and to satisfy the curiosity of the wider American society that wonders how much Muslim women can actually do, even pushing the limits of what they thought Muslim women could do.”
This event is free, open to the public, and no registration is required. The Lewiston Public Library is located at 200 Lisbon St., at the corner of Pine Street, Lewiston. For more information, contacting the Lewiston Public Library at 207-513-3133 or LPLKids@lewistonmaine.gov.
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