The Kindest Red by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali
Published by Little, Brown Books, in 2023
Key Words: Kindness, Hijab, Family, School, Strength
Summary: The Kindest Red is the second book following The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali.It starts with picture day for Asiya and Faizah, where Faizah gets to finally wear a red dress that both her sister and mother wore. As she enters the school, her teacher announces that they will all be drawing pictures of the world they would want to live in. Faizah thinks that her mom would like a beautiful world, her sister would love a strong world, but she would want a kind world. When Faizah and her friends go to recess, they make these worlds a reality with little actions, such as helping a friend with the jump ropes. However, when it comes time for the siblings’ pictures, Faizah gets sad, as all the other siblings are matching, but she and Asiya are not matching. But her Faizah friends come up with a solution; they take the red bow from their friend Sophie’s dress and use that as a Hijab for Faizah to match with her sister. This becomes the best picture day, where Faizah sees how the world around her is kind, with examples of the nice actions that the people around her have done.
Book lesson: Being kind is a valuable lesson for kids, and it is emphasized tremendously in this book. Through the small acts of compassion that each person passes down, we can see the true impact that this had, and it reminds us that no matter how large or small the act of kindness is, it is something we should be eager to be a part of.
Censorship: Not Banned or Censored
Highlights: I enjoyed the depiction of different instances in which characters participate in this practice of passing down things. For example, the dress was passed down from the mother to the sister and then to Faizah, which is something beautiful, especially as Faizah understands the value in that. Additionally, the character Sophia passes down her bow from her dress to Faizah, demonstrating acts of kindness that showcase how kindness is essentially passed down from person to person and has a lasting impact on everyone. Lastly, Faizah also passes down something to show her kindness, revealed at the end of the story to be her writing of the book.
Children’s identity: The story The Kindest Red impacts a child’s identity by demonstrating the impact that their small acts of kindness might have, and how it might become a ripple effect in their world. Furthermore, the story motivates children to have the power to create the world that they would like to live in, as Faizah and her friends have done. Through learning about Faizah, children should feel encouraged to take a bigger role in changing the world around them and become active participants in making the world a better place, passing down their kindness.
Sense of Family: Faizah values her family, shown by her unfortunate feelings when she does not match her sister on picture day or her excitement for wearing a hand-me-down dress passed down through her family.
Sense of change: Positive change inspires Faizah, becoming a common theme throughout the story. An example of positive change motivating Faizah is her enthusiasm to contribute to the creation of a kind world, to help one of her friends find another friend, or to untangle the jump ropes.
Sense of Belonging/community: The community in The Kindest Red is also depicted positively, with Faizah and Asiya always having this helpful community to lean on. However, for a sense of belonging, Faizah struggles a little, especially when all the siblings match and she feels left out. Yet, with the strong positive community around her, they help her and allow her to see that she is very welcome there by making her wear a matching hijab with her sister.
