A Note Before I dive in …
It is hard to share good book news when the world is in pieces. There is a genocide going on in Palestine and I urge you beg you anything you to call your representatives daily to demand a ceasefire. Attend a protest for Palestine. Read books by Palestinian authors. Boost their voices. Donate. Pray for them. We cannot pretend everything is normal, because it isn’t. Everyday, the situation in Gaza gets worse and worse and we cannot must not look away. Thank you in advance for taking action.
2 New Picture Book Cover Reveals…
I was reflecting back on my publishing journey. Years ago when I submitted Lailah’s Lunchbox, I believe it was in 2014 and at that time, even though email was a big thing, the publishing industry required you to print your manuscript out, stick it in a big manila envelope, along with a SASE (if you know what this is, then you might have done this — self addressed stamped envelope), and if a publisher didn’t like your story, they would mail it back to you in your self addressed stamped envelope with a generic one-page-rejection, so checking your actual mailbox would be a sad thing.
And then on top of that you would be checking your email frantically because publishers would email you if they liked your book, and I remember how my heart bounce bounced when I saw an email with the subject line Your Manu and it was about Lailah’s Lunchbox.
And I also remember how before submitting Lailah’s Lunchbox I had another picture book manuscript I was going to mail in instead, but my aunt (thank you Khalajee!) who was over read the two stories and said Lailah’s Lunchbox was the one, and the funny thing is that other old manuscript never made it, but she was right, Lailah’s Lunchbox did.
Nowadays, with the publishing industry, it’s different. It’s still slow as ever, but back then, agents weren’t as common I don’t think as they are now, and you were constantly printing and checking the big creaky mailbox.
But what is the same, is the same bounce bouncing of your heart when an editor likes your work and makes an offer, something I do not take for granted, especially after six, yes SIX, years of no books after Lailah’s Lunchbox. So without further ado…
I’m excited to share two new picture books of mine that are releasing this year! I can’t wait for you to read them.
This one is for the child that doesn’t celebrate Christmas and feels left out (this happens to my child every December!). It’s for the lonely house on the block that looks at the others and has some house and light envy! It’s told from the House’s perspective which was fun to write.
THE HOUSE WITHOUT LIGHTS
In this heartwarming holiday picture book, House misses being decorated for the winter holidays . . . but is delighted to be lit up for Eid instead.
After seeing all of its neighbors’ twinkling lights for the winter holidays, House hopes to shine too. When Huda and her family move in, House thinks its time to sparkle has finally come.
But, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Christmas come and go without a shimmer. Quickly, House learns that every family celebrates joy and togetherness in their own way, no matter the season. And a few months later House will see that this new family has its own holiday to shine for.
This book is sure to be a holiday classic, complete with back matter about the holidays mentioned, including the one House lights up for–Eid.
(Releases September 3rd 2024)
Preorder here.
I wrote this book, DO YOU EVEN KNOW ME? during Trump’s Muslim Ban in 2017.
I hoped that by the time this book came out, things would be better, way better. Sadly, with the current state of the world, we still have to battle religious discrimination. Sending prayers for all…
DO YOU EVEN KNOW ME?
From award-winning author Reem Faruqi, of Amira’s Picture Day, Lailah’s Lunchbox, Milloo’s Mind, and Unsettled, comes an empowering picture book about a girl who stands up for her Muslim culture and identity and counters bullying with love, peace, and kindness.
My name is Salma, which means peace. Islam also means peace. I wish more people knew that.
Salma is Muslim, an identity she takes pride in. But not everyone understands Salma’s religion the way she does, including news reporters, and even a boy in her class, who bullies Salma for belonging to the culture and faith she loves. However, when things go too far, Salma says, “Enough is enough!” and finds the courage to defend herself while also spreading a message of peace.
(Releases May 7th 2024)
Preorder here.
A Big Thank You to everyone who helped me behind the scenes to get these books out. I can’t wait to interview the illustrators Nadia Alam and Ani Bushry soon! They really brought the stories to life in a beautiful and kid-friendly way. If you like illustrator interviews, check out my recent ones here.
Preorders show the publisher you like my work! The above links provide you with a few different websites you can place an order (local indie book store, Amazon, so please pre-order). Thank You! I so do appreciate your support.
Other Ways to Support an Author:
- Buy their Book (Pre-orders are great because you are showing the publisher your interest)
- Review their book (Amazon, Goodreads, your social media)
- Borrow their book from the library (this also helps put it on the librarian’s radar!)
- Donate a book to a classroom
- Donate a class set of books to a classroom or a school library (see question 14 for bulk orders and discounts here).
- Talk about their book
- Reach out to the author and tell them you liked their book! (or send the author a picture of a person reading the book or fan mail.)
Toggling Voices
As an author of different things, it feels like I am toggling different voices in my brain. There’s Blog-Reem, Instagram-Reem, Microessay-Reem, Long Essay Reem, Picture Book Reem, Verse Novel Reem. Lately, I am loving microessays, tiny little essays that have a big impact. When I write small, the words become sleek and swish like a silky ponytail. I am grateful to have different avenues to write in, but it does get a little overwhelming, Then there’s the No-Writing-Reem who I became for months after I had my baby. I didn’t open my laptop – baby N had some feeding issues and a tongue tie, and that cast a shadow over everything, making everything harder. Baby N is now almost 8 months old. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, Z is 13, A is 11, H is 6 years old. It’s a tricky balance having young babies and teenagers, baby N is a tag-along-baby to the older children’s schedules. But the benefit of having older children, is you don’t have to worry about a toddler poking a baby’s eyes while you shower. When A was a newborn, I remember how stressful it was having a toddler. If you’re in that season, I see you. I don’t really have any tips, and I don’t want to tell you to enjoy every second, because some seconds really are the worst.
Here are some examples of my writing lately that I posted on instagram… this one is for Jill Biden.
Recent Writing
Photography
An image of baby toes that I love, although this is of a baby that is a big kid now! And the newest baby on the right!
Middle Grade Updates:
CALL ME ADNAN will be a paperback this year. Also if you haven’t read ANISA’S INTERNATIONAL DAY, GOLDEN GIRL, or UNSETTLED, please do! If you read them and enjoyed them, please leave a kind review. Also, CALL ME ADNAN got a Daybreak Press Award for middle grade tween fiction and is a Cybils Finalist Award for Poetry!
Also, if you like new year non-resolutions, here are some I wrote here and here -they were fun to read through, and are freeing to write. I don’t have bandwidth to do any this year, but I am attempting this blog post. I did create an author newsletter via mail chimp, and am attempting to write on Substack (I love the posts of authors there), but I find that WordPress is easiest for me to write on. I’ve had this blog for a while, and even though I don’t post as much, I enjoy it.
I have been sharing some Palestinian book recommendations on Instagram. Let’s continue to boost their voices. Please call your representatives daily to demand a ceasefire.
Book Recommendations
Thank you for following and for your support. I will share more later! And don’t forget to keep calling your representatives to demand a ceasefire, some tips below.
Doodling Through Life 