Salma Writes a Book
Salma Writes a Book
“You have to study for a baby?” Salma asks, pouting a little. “I thought it was easier than that.”
“I wish,” Mama says. “It’s a lot of work to take care of a new baby. We want to make sure we have answers to any questions we might have.”
“Salma jumps off the chair. There’s a right and wrong way to raise a baby? That means there must be a right and wrong way to be a sibling!” Salma thinks.
“Slow down,” Mama says, as Salma grabs the book. But Salma ignores her. She flips through it, trying to read its pages, and finds a mountain of words she doesn’t recognize. She squints, hoping that she can focus enough to learn a word on the spot, but it doesn’t help. Her shoulders drop and she returns the book to Mama with a frown.
“How can I read this book?” Salma asks. “I also have so many questions about how to be a good older sister!”
Danny Ramadan’s Salma Writes a Book is the second installment of the Salma’s chapter book series based on his award-winning picture book, Salma the Syrian Chef. Salma meets her uncle, Khalou Dawood, for the first time because he has recently moved to Vancouver from Toronto. Salma wonders why she has never met her uncle before, and she observes how her mother’s sibling relationship with Khalou is a rocky one. There is a secret about Khalou Dawood that her mother wants to keep from Salma. Salma questions whether her mother’s knowledge about being a sibling is reliable since Salma is trying to write a book about how to be a good older sibling so she knows what to do when the baby is born. This doubt causes a dispute between Salma and her mother.
Anna Bron’s realistically drawn illustrations complement the story. The graphics aid in the storytelling by supporting the text on the page. For example, Salma’s mother is depicted wearing a hijab (head scarf) around visitors and illustrated without a hijab when she is at home amongst immediate family members.
Salma Writes a Book is an endearing chapter book about how Salma and her family struggle to find a balance between their newly accustomed Canadian lives with their deeply rooted traditional Syrian values and beliefs. This book tackles conflicts regarding LGBTQ2S+ issues in a traditional Syrian family that has immigrated to Canada.
Salma Writes a Book is recommended to any reader who may have LGBTQ2S+ friends or families as well as someone who is a new immigrant settling into Canada.
Dr. Vivian Howard is a professor in the School of Information Management at Dalhousie University (and a firm believer in the scientific method).