Review: The Green Dinosaur Umbrella - A Hajj Story
The Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the most important events in a religiously observant Muslim’s life. Nearly two million people performed the pilgrimage last year, and every Muslim is supposed to make the journey at least once if it is at all possible.
The Hajj is not a single visit but a five to six day ritual with lots of individual events - camping overnight in Mina, hiking to Mount Arafat, running between the hills of Safa and Marwa, and more. It’s complicated enough that many pilgrims carry printed guides outlining what to do when. Which means that a picture book explaining the Hajj to kids could easily be a dry list of instructions that misses the spirit that makes Hajj such a beautiful and meaningful experience.
The Green Dinosaur Umbrella, by Amina Banawan and illustrated by Rania Hasan, is as charming and delightful as the titular umbrella with its smiling face. The story follows Ibrahim, a young pilgrim who carries a green dinosaur umbrella to shade him from the hot sun. But when he sees a fellow pilgrim who needs the umbrella more, he gives it away. That person also gives it away to someone else, and the umbrella makes the rounds of pilgrims as the pilgrims progress through the Hajj.
Finding the bright green umbrella in the crowds of diverse pilgrims is fun in itself, and kids will likely enjoy pointing it out. The umbrella's journey comes to a satisfying conclusion in the message that the spirit of Hajj is the spirit of compassion and generosity.
The Green Dinosaur Umbrella is published by Ruqaya's Bookshelf.