Sameer and Snazzy: Kindness Counts by Emma L. Halim illustrated by Herry Prihamdni
The 32 page faceless picture book for toddlers and up, is set in Australia and follows Sameer and his cat Snazzy on a bushwalk. At first I felt like it might be a little bit like the classic, “And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street,” but the structured story with a repetitive refrain adds in Islamic phrases, silly encounters, and examples of kindness that make it unique. Add in a fun surprise at the end, and like many other books by the author, be prepared to have it memorized as your little ones ask for it over and over again.
The book starts with Sameer look forward to his grandpa coming to visit, but wishing he had something exciting to share with him. Snazzy suggests he shares that he can talk to animals, but Sameer knows no one would ever believe that, so the two set off on a bushwalk to find something exciting.
When they hear an “A-choooooo!” in the trees, the fun is just getting started with Miss Koala sneezing and making eucalyptus leaves fall. The duo finds a way to help, but the fallen leaves mean ants are stuck in their home and can’t get out. Once again, Sameer and Snazzy, find a way to help. After each episode the refrain of, “‘Imagine if I told Grandpa this!”‘ I say to Snazzy. ‘He’d never believe you! he smiles. ‘NO-ONE WOULD!’ We laugh together and continue along the path, when suddenly…”
The book ends with a surprise, that I won’t spoil. The backmatter has a reference to Surah An-Naml and explains that Prophet Sulayman peace be upon him, really could speak to animals. There is also a glossary of the Islamic phrases and a QR code to continue to the fun after the story ends.
The book is a bit more text heavy than some of her others, but the illustrations are fun, and will keep kid’s attention. It does not rhyme, but has a cadence that makes reading it aloud easy. The small size makes the book better suited to bed time, but could work in a story time, and would be wonderful tuned into a story board/felt board read aloud. The book is a universal story, but at some point in Islamic fiction self published and small published books, I think we will need to have open dialogue and discussions if having characters that are not the same race as the author or illustrator is appropriate and beneficial, or is misleading and better to avoid.
