Mimi stories by Fatima Sharafeddine

Ill. by by Rasha Mouib Al Hakim. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2017,
Mimi and the Piano. ISBN 9781408887448
Mimi in Paris. ISBN 9781408887400
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. These are two culturally diverse stories following a girl called Mimi as she goes on a number of exciting adventures and will promote intercultural understandings. They are quite simply written with bold illustrations and perfectly capture small adventures in a little girl's life. The important thing to my mind is that this little girl is Muslim and with all the negativity about Islam in the media it's even more necessary for our readers to understand that diversity is not something to reject.
In Mimi and the piano, like many kids Mimi decides on a new hobby - in this case the piano. She really does love it but oh my goodness, the practice as her lessons grow harder. Her teacher wants her to perform in the end of year concert but Mimi puts on her seriously grumpy face and wants to pack it in. Will her mum and teacher be able to persuade her to keep going? Sounds like quite a few children I've known!
In Mimi in Paris Mimi and her family are off to Paris for a vacation. How very exciting! So much to see, so many new things to explore and people to meet - not to mention the glorious food! Even though her mum warns her not to wander off, Mimi can't resist chasing some very amusing pigeons and oh oh! She's lost. Luckily she has a card from the hotel in her pocket and so even though she can't speak French, a kind female police officer helps her find her way back. Lesson learned!
Sue Warren