Best Selling Books by Rukhsana Khan

Eight-year-old Khadija, her older brother, Hamza, and their parents have just arrived in Canada from Pakistan. In their classrooms on the first day of school Khadija and Hamza are confronted by a sea of unfamiliar faces. Everyone looks so different from the way they did back home.At first Khadija and Hamza feel left out at recess, and they both become the targets of school bullies. It''s really hard to have to speak English all day long. And Khadija just can''t figure out how to get enough water out of the drinking fountain. Hamza, in particular, misses everything about Pakistan — his friends, his school and his grandmother. But gradually, Khadija and Hamza find new friends and begin to feel more at home.

Rubina has been invited to her first birthday party, and her mother, Ami, insists that she bring her little sister along. Rubina is mortified, but she can''t convince Ami that you just don''t bring your younger sister to your friend''s party. So both girls go, and not only does Sana demand to win every game, but after the party she steals Rubina''s prized party favor, a red lollipop. What''s a fed-up big sister to do? Rukhsana Khan''s clever story and Sophie Blackall''s irresistible illustrations make for a powerful combination in this fresh and surprising picture book.

Winner of the Middle East Book Award, Youth Fiction category Jameela lives with her mother and father in Afghanistan. Despite the fact that there is no school in their poor, war-torn village, and Jameela lives with a birth defect that has left her with a cleft lip, she feels relatively secure, sustained by her faith and the strength of her beloved mother, Mor. But when Mor suddenly dies, Jameela''s father impulsively decides to seek a new life in Kabul. He remarries, a situation that turns Jameela into a virtual slave to her demanding stepmother. When the stepmother discovers that Jameela is trying to learn to read, she urges her father to simply abandon the child in Kabul''s busy marketplace. Jameela ends up in an orphanage. Throughout it all, it is the memory of Mor that anchors her and in the end gives Jameela the strength to face her father and stepmother when fate brings them into her life again. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator''s or speaker''s point of view influences how events are described. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story''s or drama''s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

Join a young girl and her family in this Step 2 reader as they celebrate Eid-al-fitr, a holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Perfect for readers ages 4-6. It''s Eid-al-fitr—the last day of Ramadan, which means it is the last day for Rabia to fast with the rest of her family and she has never done it before. Rabia is so excited! She eats just before sunrise and then the day of fasting begins! Rabia gets to have her hands painted with henna, wear a new dress, and put her family''s donation in the box at the mosque. It''s a special Eid all around! Step 2 Readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories, for children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.

Mahvish Khan is an American lawyer, born to immigrant Afghan parents in Michigan. Outraged that her country was illegally imprisoning people at Guantanamo, she volunteered to translate for the prisoners. She spoke their language, understood their customs, and brought them Starbucks chai, the closest available drink to the kind of tea they would drink at home. And they quickly befriended her, offering fatherly advice as well as a uniquely personal insight into their plight, and that of their families thousands of miles away. For Mahvish Khan the experience was a validation of her Afghan heritage - as well as her American freedoms, which allowed her to intervene at Guantanamo purely out of her sense that it was the right thing to do. Mahvish Khan''s story is a challenging, brave, and essential test of who she is - and who we are.

Zainab is a thirteen year old facing a LOT of problems that threaten to overwhelm her: manipulation, bullying, the sexual exploitation of a friend and eventually an attempted suicide. But when a teacher offers her the opportunity to direct a school house league play, Zainab thinks it might be the chance she''s looking for. If she can bring the most popular bully in school, in line, maybe she can prove she fits in. Maybe... Winner of the 2001 Manitoba Young Reader''s Choice Honor Award Nominated for the 2000 Ruth Schwartz Award Nominated for the 2000 Red Maple Award

Khan is an American, born to immigrant Afghan parents. Outraged that her country is illegally imprisoning people at Guantanamo, she volunteers to translate for the prisoners. For Khan, the experience is a validation of her Afghan heritage as well as her American freedoms. Illustrated.

From the author of Big Red Lollipop comes a vibrant picture book about a boy who joins his father on a rollicking rickshaw delivery. Richard Scarry fans will delight in this joyful read-aloud with a message of sharing and respect. Ibraheem and his cat, Mitu, join Baba on a rickshaw trip through the big city, where vehicles of all sorts and sizes have their own language to help them navigate the busy streets. BEEP BEEP, says Baba. HONK HONK, says car. TOOT TOOT, says bus. RUMBLE RUMBLE, says mighty truck. MEOW MEOW, says Mitu WHEEE! I say. Along the way, Ibraheem notices that though there aren''t traffic signals, the cars, buses, trucks, rickshaws (and even a stray toad!), all navigate the hustle and bustle of the streets safely by communicating in their own language. With its poetic text and bright, friendly art, Ibraheem''s adventure comes alive with the exciting sounds, movement and personality of the drivers and vehicles that share the road. Includes an author''s note about her experiences with big city traffic around the world.

Muslim Child is a collection of short stories, poems and prose that examines the world through the eyes of Muslim children. Each story represents a tenet of Islam in a way which is both entertaining and enlightening.

Many Windows is a book about young people who are friends despite their religious differences. It''s a book about celebrations, that ultimately celebrates community, is a collection of seven stories about six children who are in the same class at school, two white boys, a black girl, a Chinese girl, an Indian girl and a Pakistani boy.

A wise and witty bedtime stand-off for young and old to enjoy night after night.

''Come, Jameela. Stand right here. I need to do something.'' I grab hold of his sleeve. ''Where are you going?'' His face is twisted. He doesn''t look at me. ''Never mind.'' Jameela lives with her family in a war-torn village in Afghanistan. Life is hard, but when her mother dies, and her father remarries, Jameela has to face a greater horror. To survive she draws on the strong sense of self that her mother gave her. Based on a real girl called Sameela, and a real orphanage, this unforgettable novel tells the story of a devout Muslim girl and what life is really like in post-Taliban Afghanistan. ''Jameela is such an intriguing, inspiring character.a beautiful and life-affirming story.'' - Randa Abdel-Fattah, author of Does My Head Look Big in This?

When a young boy and his mother and sister come to a refugee camp to escape the war in Afghanistan, he finds some comfort in the beauty of the carpets he is learning to weave.

One day each spring a boy launches his fighting kite into the air. He has worked on it all year, perfecting every detail to make his kite the very best -- the one that can capture all the others. Not even the huge kite of the boy next door can match his ... for on this special day, he is king of the skies!

In Pakistan, Rani believes that her mother loves their pet chicken Bibi more than she cares for her, until the day that a fluffy chick appears and steals Rani''s own affections.

After confronting what she believes to be a snake in the bath house, Saba finds the courage to overcome her fear of the chickens in the courtyard.

In these eleven original stories, characters bravely face the challenges of settling into a new life. In this wonderful new short story anthology, eleven of Canada''s top children''s authors contribute stories of immigration, displacement and change, exploring the frustration and uncertainty those changes can bring. Told in first-person narratives, this collection features a diverse cast of boys and girls, each one living at a different point in Canada''s vast landscape and history. With unforgettable protagonists — such as Miriam, a Warsaw-ghetto survivor, now reunited with her family in Montreal; Wong Joe-on, a young Chinese immigrant who faces racism in a small Saskatchewan town; and Insy, an Ojibwe girl who makes her first trip to a "white" town in Northern Ontario — young readers will be moved by the opportunities and difficulties that these characters face, as each one ponders what it means to be Canadian, and struggles to fit in. Hoping for Home includes stories by Jean Little, Kit Pearson, Brian Dowle, Paul Yee, Irene N. Watts, Ruby Slipperjack, Afua Cooper, Rukhsana Khan, Marie—Andrée Clermont, Lillian Boraks—Nemetz and Shelley Tanaka.

"Even though he is confined to a wheelchair, a Pakistani boy tries to capture the most kites during Basant, the annual spring kite festival, and become "king" for the day. Includes an afterword about the Basant festival"--Provided by publisher.

"Once upon an Eid is a collection of short stories that showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year: Eid! Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it''s waking up to the sound of frying samosas and simmering pistachio kheer, maybe it''s the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it''s the gift giving and holiday parties to come that day. Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy. The anthology will also include a poem, graphic-novel chapter, and spot illustrations"--

A young maiden named Danyshman draws the attention and admiration of the ruling Khan Bolotbek, but will he forgive his clever wife when she breaks her promise to him?

A boy whose family has immigrated to Canada from Iraq finds it difficult to fit in. When world events make it even harder, he worries about being stereotyped and making his friends see who he really is.

"Elephant wants to make friends but it''s not easy. The other animals don''t like the way she looks. Maybe if she changes..." -- page 4 of cover.