The Masjid Kamal Loves

Have you read Ashley Franklin’s latest book “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗷𝗶𝗱 𝗞𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀”? The book begins by focusing on Kamal’s smile – a wide smile ‘𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴’ – the reason for the smile being the masjid. Then the focus shifts to the masjid itself and using a cumulative structure similar to ‘There was an old lady’ or ‘The house that Jack built’, the narrative is developed, line by line with repetition that makes it instantly catchy for a young audience. The illustrations are beautiful and witty too – I loved the way Aaliya Jaleel has added a movement line to show how Kamal flings his shoe a little too hard before entering. The illustrations provide a rare insight into what goes on inside the masjid. Perfect for 4 and above, this is a great example of books being “windows, mirrors or sliding doors”.