Under My Hijab

Review
By Booklist

A young girl watches the women in her life, paying close attention to how they wear their hijabs. Grandma carefully tucks in the ends of hers, like the pastry on the pies she bakes. Auntie, who is an artist, winds her silky hijab high on her head and pins it with a jewel. Iman’s more sporty covering stays put while she competes for her martial-arts black belt. This book is a generous invitation by both author and illustrator to young Muslim girls to witness a variety of ways and reasons women wear hijabs. It is necessarily unsubtle, for it also considers the gaze of the outsider who may wonder and have questions. The women and girls the protagonist admires vary in profession, age, and race. They go about their lives with confidence and pride, choosing to style their hijabs according to circumstance or whimsy. An author’s note explains when and why some Muslim women choose to cover, or not. Cheerful, colorful images complement the affirming tone and message of this timely book.