Salaam Storytime

Read with permission from the creators and author, we are delighted to share a brand new story during this special month of Ramadan. Leena, Nadeen, Baba Hanable, and Mama Janan read aloud the story: "The Blessed Pomegranates: A Ramadan Story About Giving (Secrets of Divine Love)." There are Islamic lessons and ideals expressed in this delightful children's tale about giving.

You can learn more about A. Helwa and her work below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.helwa_/?hl=en

Amazon Book Listing: https://a.co/d/4b77hxo

Author Website: www.authorahelwa.com

Credit to Kabbalistic Village for the background song "Simplicity" https://kabbalisticvillage.com/;

Wheels squeaking by Shamewap from freesound.org; plop sound by marokki from freesound.org; pop/plunk. by NicholasJudy567 from freesound.org; Female gasping by drotzruhn from freesound.org

Special thanks to Nwachukwu Nwoko for editing this episode!

We are excited to share this amazing and inspiring story by Little Kids' Big Lessons: "Reach for the Stars Like Kalpana"!

Kalpana was a determined young Indian woman who dreamt of becoming an engineer. She ultimately became the first Indian woman to go to space. Powered by determination, this story tells the story of perseverance. For more books in this series, visit: https://kaybpublishing.wixsite.com/mysite Intro and exit music from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie. Sounds for this episode come from youtube.com under the Creative Commons license: Instrumental: Ascend by Erick L. D. DeVore.

This is a favorite story of ours! "Let's Go Yum Cha!" allows readers to learn about delicious Cantonese food and culture while teaching children how to say Cantonese phrases. Written by children's author, Alister Felix and read with his permission, this title is a vibrant story about a little boy's Dim Sum adventure as he learns more about his own Chinese culture. The book is illustrated by Yenna Mariana.

You can find this book online! Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/let-s-go-yum-cha-a-dim-sum-adventure-alister-felix/17778349?ean=9780578328737

Feel free to visit the author Alister's website at: ⁠https://alisterfelix.com/

Episode sound details: Intro and exit music from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie.Sound effects for this episode come from from freesound.org under the Creative Commons license: "Plates Clanking" by Lolamadeus; "Sniffing Short" by Inspector J."Sniffing" by Daalvinz"Squeak" by Joedeshon; "Squish" by Davidou.

Read with permission from Pikin Books, we are excited to read aloud this story by Vickie Remoe. Ami is finally getting a print dress. Her print will be tailor-made by Sisi Bisi, Freetown's finest seamstress and fashion designer. Join Ami and her mother Titi as they visit Sisi Bisi at Kabaslot Designs. "A Print for Ami" is part of an early reader series that celebrates African culture while helping children ages 3-6 learn phonics. Intro and exit music from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie.Sound effects for this episode come from from freesound.org under the Creative Commons license: "Ignition And Drive Off" by The Plax;"Sewing Machine" by Taymline.

Written by R.C. Chizov and illustrated by Anastasia Yezhela, this charming story about an emu who learns the power of perseverance and never giving up! In old and charming Emu Town...an emu wins the emu-flap game every year. But when she loses her winning streak, she mopes around, saying "Nope!" to all games. Follow her journey as she finds inspiration to say "Yes" and win emu-flap again. With colorful illustrations and playful rhymes, Nope-Nope Emu proves that failure can be hard but getting back in there and trying again has its own rewards. It is the first in the picture book series, Emu Town Stories.

Janie Reinart is a UNICEF affiliate author who is raising awareness of the plight of BIDIBIDI refugees in Uganda. Explore how the children create their own toys, and solve problems that affect them. Please visit https://www.clearforkpublishing.com/product-page/when-water-makes-mud-a-story-of-refugee-children where you can order the book. A portion of the author's profits are donated to helping with refugee crisis. For more information and to view a message from the author, please visit https://tinyurl.com/yc7zzmyc.

Sound effects from freesound.org, under the Creative Commons license. Some sound effects were taken from benztownbranding.com which is a paid site for audio producers.

To participate in future readings, suggest titles to read, or connect with us in any way, please contact us at salaamstorytime[at]gmail[dot]com.

Salaam!

Rosie Pova is a multi-published and award-winning author. Her stories are written to love, laugh, and uplift others. Originally from Bulgaria and now residing in Texas, we had the honor of connecting with Rosie to celebrate the book-birthday for her imaginative title "Sunday Rain"! This lovely title is illustrated by Amariah Rauscher and published by Lantana Publishing. The delightful read tells you about a little boy named Elliott who uses his imagination, as he ventures out into his new neighborhood for the first time.

Special thanks and attribution to Scott Holmes Music for the background song Happy Days, and intro and exit music from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie. Contact us at salaamstorytime [at] gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you and participating with you! 

Read with permission from the amazing author, Rishma, we were taken on a trip around the world with the main characters of the book "Sushi and Samosas: A Trip of Tasty Transformations."

"The Soul Bossa.mp3"

Intro, exit music, and background sounds from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie and background song from "The Soul Bossa.mp3". 

For questions on how to get your story featured on Salaam Storytime, please contact salaamstorytime(at)gmail.com and don't forget to enter our recipe contest, which closes 12/31/2021! Please visit the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/salaambananas

Qualifying recipe developers will be eligible to enter a chance to win a $100 gift card, recipes accepted worldwide! 

Thank you for listening and until next time!

From an Intro to "A Kids Book About Racism," Jelani Memory asks readers to think about all the things grownups are responsible for teaching kids - from things like ABCs, riding a bike, and when to say "please" and "thank you."  But what about important topics like racism?  What age is too early for kids to learn about racisk? When is it "too soon" to learn how to treat those who look different from us? And who is supposed to help kids learn about racism?

In this story, aimed at age 6 and up, Leena learns how to define racism and I am glad we had the conversation about friendships and hate and what it means to stop someone when you see or hear something racist. Many thanks to Publisher and Author Jelani Memory who was so kind, responsive, and open to us sharing this with our listeners.

If you have other books we should read to learn about antiracism or any resources to share with other parents, please contact us at SalaamStorytime (at) gmail.com or send us a DM on Instagram @SalaamStorytime.

Thank you and let us know if you would like to collaborate!

Read with permission from Capstone Press, "Bilal Cooks Daal" is a fun story about a young boy who shares a special meal with his friends (the story also includes a tasty recipe - check it out at your local library or buy a copy!). Leena reads the voice of Bilal and we invite you to listen in with us! Guest readers on this episode include Andrea Hall and Linus Abrons, plus cameos by Nadeen and Ameena, Leena's very own sisters.  

Intro and exit music from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie. To participate in future readings, suggest titles to read, or connect with us in any way, please contact us at salaamstorytime[at]gmail[dot]com.  Also check out our last episode "Going Bananas!" to participate in our very first contest!  Winners can be from anywhere around the world and will be featured in a special project we are working on with our dear friend, author Evelyn Sue Wong!

Until next time.

Salaam!

Leena and Janan 

Salaam Storytime is back and we wanted to know: what's your favorite fruit? Chances are, you have encountered a banana in your life. (Hint: We kind of hope you love bananas!)

In this delightful short story, you will learn a little bit about a lot of different things this versatile fruit can do.  Read with permission and written by Evelyn Sue Wong, "Going Bananas" is one of the short stories in the collection of stories that created A Book of Hugs: Stories to Keep You Company.  Closetful of Books published this book to support and empower children during the height of the pandemic.  A year later, we are still grateful for the warmth and connection stories like this can bring to the world.

In honor of this global love, Evelyn's two granddaughters, Edith and Elly have decided to collaborate with Leena and her sisters, Nadeen and Ameena to bring together the best banana recipes of the world!  We would like to invite you to participate in this challenge as well.

What is your favorite banana recipe - a smoothie, a snack, a dessert, or an entree? Please visit the link below to see how to share as we will be collaborating with Global Tiffins and Global Bookshelves International LLC to share whatever we come up with: 

https://tinyurl.com/salaambananas

Qualifying recipe developers will be eligible to enter a chance to win a gift card!

Contact us with any queries at salaamstorytime [at] gmail.com!

Thank you and until next time!

Salaam! (Peace!) 

This episode features a 2020 quarantine project by fellow UNC Alumni, Aisha Saad. She created and illustrated a story about Ramadan in quarantine in 2020 for her family, dedicated to people around the world having to celebrate a holiday during isolation. "Halima's First Ramadan [in Quarantine] is from Halima, Aisha, and Ahmed and written in Ramadan 2020.  Thank you, Aisha, for sharing your beautiful story with the world! If you would like to see the lovely illustrations, send me a message and I will get you a copy of the eBook, with Aisha's permission.

Intro and exit music from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie and "Now Hold on a Minute."

To participate in future readings, suggest titles to read, or connect with us in any way, please contact us at rxjanan[at]gmail[dot]com.

Salaam!

“Salaam” means “peace”! Do you know what your name means? Today’s story is called “Always Anjali” written by author, activist, and author Sheetal Sheth, illustrated by Jessica Blank, and published by Mango and Marigold Press. It’s a story about a young girl who struggles with the name her parents gave her.

Special thanks to guest story narrators: Uzma Khan, Violet Abrons, Sami Abu-Ragheb, Nadeem Abu-Ragheb, and Yasmin Sarwar.

Intro and exit music from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie. Sound effects for this episode come from from freesound.org under the Creative Commons license:
“Ambience, Night Wildlife, A.wav” by InspectorJ; “Unwrapping gift” by DineoMichelle; “Thinking Music” by GHRockotron3000; “Boy or Young Child laughing” by OBXJohn; “Bike Bell While Riding” by qubodup.

To participate in future readings, suggest titles to read, or connect with us in any way, please contact us at rxjanan[at]gmail[dot]com.

Salaam!

"House by Woods and Other Rhymes" is a charming rhyme story written for Singaporean children in the 1990s as a response to the the limited number of local children's books available there. Most books in the 1980s and 90s were imported from the US, UK, and Australia, so educator Dr. Khoo Kim Choo took on the responsibility of writing her own stories! This title in particular was written to help local children connect with nature. The image on the cover of the book is inspired by her own home. We send many thanks to Dr. Khoo Kim Choo for meeting our family, reading her lovely children's stories to us, and connecting us to the publishers in Singapore for permission to read this story!

Intro and exit music from SlipStream "Farmer's Market" by Ellie. Sound effects for this episode come from from freesound.org under the Creative Commons license: "Snake hissing.mp3" by schreibsel; "Cricket sound" by bolkmar; "Clown Horn 1_1" by Joao_Janz; "Fanfare.wav" by ricniclas; "taratata.wav" by milton.; "Rock Skip" by bevibeldesign; "drum_rythm1.mp3" by Taira Komori. Thank you for listening.

For inquiries, please contact rxjanan@gmail.com.

Welcome to the first episode of Salaam Storytime, where Leena invites you to listen to a story from around the world. Leena, Janan, and Hanable first read "Bismillah Soup" a Somali twist on the classic "Stone Soup" tale.  A young boy named Hasan must find a way to organize a special dinner for his mother. The neighborhood comes together in this story of generosity and community. Permission to read this story was granted by Ruqaya's Bookshelf. Sound effects from freesound.org, under the Creative Commons license.

For definitions of words mentioned in this story: Bismillah [a phrase before one begins any task, meaning: "In the name of God."]; Hooyo [the Somali word for "Mother"]; Aabo [the Somali word for "Father"]; Masjid [the Arabic word for "Mosque"]; Imam [a title applied to the leader of a mosque]; Shaykh [a title applied to a respected and earned member of the community]; InshaAllah [a phrase used when Muslims plan to do something, meaning: "If God wills."]; AsSalaamuAlaikum [the greeting Muslims use when they meet one another, meaning: "Peace be upon you."; MaShaAllah [a phrase used when one is happy at some good news, meaning: "Whatever God has willed."]; Alhamdulillah [a phrase used to thank God, meaning: "All praise is due to God."]; Maghrib [one of the five daily prayers a Muslim must perform]; Samboos [a type of savory fried pastry, usually filled with vegetables or ground beef]; Muufo bread [a type of flatbread made in Somali cuisine]