"Bashirah and the Amazing bean Pie" by Ameenah Muhammad- Diggins

"A heat warming Tale Filled With Faith, Food And Family."

Bashirah and the Amazing Bean Pie is a very BEAUTIFUL book. The cover is glossy, and well illustrated, it reveals the beautiful proud face of an African American girl, Bashirah , and her Amazing Bean Pie.

It is written by Ameenah Muhammad - Diggins, Illustrated by Amir Doumy and Edited by Layla Abdullah Poulos. A story which illustrated the Rich and Beautiful Culture Of African American Muslims, told by an African American lady, I bet nobody can tell it better than this.

Bashirah and the Amazing Bean Pie is a work of fiction, that can be enjoyed by younger readers between the ages 3 to 12, even as an adult, I still enjoyed it. It is" a heart warming tale filled with faith, food and family".  A story about Eid Holiday.

Bashirah, who was illustrated to be a middle school muslim student, was not only excited that there would be a culture day at her school - where every student was expected to bring a dish that best REPRESENT him/her, in celebrating their diversity; but it is also her first time in learning how to make her family recipe, as she was finally old enough to cook, and she would make it for all of her family members for Eid.

The story also talked about the preparation, reunion and excitement that comes with Eid, a celebration that every Muslim looks forward to.  " One more wiggle- girl, and it'll be uneven. So, hold still."

Every page in the book is entertaining, educative, and expository. Readers, would be entertained by Bashirah's excitement and enthusiasm, they would learn about Muslims, Islam, Eid and most especially Bashirah's recipe, and it would also expose them to the lives of African American Muslims behind closed doors, the FUN of celebrating with loved ones. The best Eid, that everyone desires- a Eid with LOVE. Surprisingly, God Consciousness was not left out in the book, as The Family were never neglectful  of the time for Solah - the Muslim prayer, even when they were celebrating and enjoying one another's company.

"Mashallah, this bean pie is amazing!' Uncle hassan licked his lips. "Who made it?" "BASHIRAH!" everyone exclaimed at once. This was one of my favorite part of the book, it felt like I was in the scene with them, as I could feel the merriment.

At school, everyone enjoyed Bashirah's Amazing Bean Pie, and she was very excited to see her classmates eating from plates filled with food from may different cultures- all of them extraordinary.

" Remember, neither our languages or heritages make us better than anyone else. Allah looks at our good deeds".

I recommend this book for everyone, especially those who believe in impacting etiquette on young readers.

I give it a 5 star. The only challenge that I find whenever I read the book is their choice of font and style of design,   The font almost made me assume the book is boring, until I took the pain to read it, for the first time, and I am glad I did. A lot of lessons from it. An Amazing Book. I find every read entertaining and educative. The the little READERS loved it too. 


The author went further to share her family recipe of making bean pie with us, the readers. I bet you would want to try it out.