I have long been a fan of Hena Khan's marvelous book of colors, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns. I was therefore very excited to see that Khan has published a follow-up book, Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes! Teaming up again with illustrator Merdokht Amini, this book offers a global look into the geometric shapes found in the Muslim world.

Books about first concepts—letters, numbers, colors, and, of course, shapes—are a perennial offering in children's literature. Not all of them, however, stand out from the pack. Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets, like its predecessor, deserves attention, whether as part of an instructional unit in an early childhood classroom, or as part of bedtime storytime.

Different shapes-circles, cubes, cones, arches, octagons, and so on-are each presented on coloful, richly detailed two-page spreads. While the illustrations of Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns focused on one Muslim girl and her extended family, the illustrations in this new book each highlight a different country from around the world. This is a wonderful view into the diversity of the global Muslim community.

Rhyming text joins captivating illustrations to make a book perfect for reading aloud to very young children, and for beginning readers to try out their skills. Finally, there is a glossary in the back of the book that helps clarify what for some may be unfamiliar terms.

If you do end up reading this wonderful book, be sure to log your reading and listening minutes as part of your Summer Challenge points!