27th September Scarf Day

Scarf Day? Why? It is getting too warm here to wear a scarf so I'm guessing it is a northern hemisphere thing. Celebrating scarves through picture books? Necessary? Probably not, but it could be done.

My favourite scarf book is Margaret Wild and Kerry Argent's Miss Lily's Fabulous Pink Feather Boa, where the scarf is actually a boa, which is a long, thin decorative scarf made of feathers or a similar material, worn by women at parties or as part of fancy dress. Another favourite is Nette Hilton and Margaret Power's The Long Red Scarf, but it is old and out of print and depicts an exceptionally dangerous looking scarf.

Three other titles the library has are:

• Barty's Scarf by  Sally Chambers   

• Little Owl's Orange Scarf by Tatyana Feeney

• A Scarf and a Half  by Amanda Brunton and Catalina Echeverri

And that's about it! But it got me thinking about broadening the definition of scarf and the sort of questions my young students ask about head coverings on children in picture books that have characters who wear hijabs, khimar, or headscarves. 

I teach in a school where there are very few children who practise the Islamic faith, but where many of the students and/or their parents were not born here, and thus the students are global wanderers and are fascinated by difference. They travel overseas regularly and most of them have seen more of the world than I have.

I remember having a great discussion with a class about Kelly Cunnane's  book Deep in the Sahara  and talking at length about wanting to emulate customs, parents and or fashion, just as Lalla does in this story where she wants to wear a malafa just like her mother and older sister.

I remember also when I first read The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, and the students were fascinated by the hijab and the fact that an Olympian wore one. It certainly gives a new perspective to the first day of school. Ibtihaj's sequel The Kindest Red  will be here in January and it too highlights the hijab.

Other books that would continue these discussions would be:

• Mommy's Khimar by Jamilah Tompkins-Bigelow and Ebony Glenn.

• Under My Hijab by Hena Khan and Aaliya Jaleel

• Layla's Head Scarf by Miriam Cohen and Ron Himler

And very excitedly I am looking forward to getting a copy of Hana's Hundreds of Hijabs which was  published on the 20th September by Barefoot Books. It is written by Razeena Omar Gutta, a South-Asian Muslim who was born in Zimbabwe but who is now living in Australia. Here's the blurb:

Hijab styling in the context of creative fashion brings a unique, positive and fun perspective to a sometimes misunderstood religious practice. Readers unfamiliar with hijabs will learn about how they are worn, while children familiar with hijabs will see their own experiences reflected . Children with large, overflowing collections of favourite items will relate to Hana's dilemma. Clever and humorous story about creative problem-solving.

To see other books where there are characters in hijabs see this list. World Hijab Day is observed every year on February 1st  to honour Muslim women who wear the hijab.