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My Friend Jamal Amy and Monifa, Jamal and Joseph were all born in the UK – but Amy is Chinese and Jamal is Somali. They have similarities and differences. They are best friends.
This book is superb. From its brilliant colours to its frank honesty, My Friend Jamal hits the right chord. It accurately and respectfully describes the Somalian culture through the eyes of a young boy.... The author does an excellent job of handling sensitive topics like the war in Somalia and respectfully showcases elements of the Somali culture... I would recommend this book for all school and public libraries. **** This is a delightful and interesting book about two young friends called Joseph and Jamal. They both come from very different backgrounds, religion and culture. Their friendship transcends these differences. The story of this enjoyable relationship is written in a very poignant, natural and spontaneous way as it is explored by two small children finding out about each other. It deals with their acceptance of the fact that they can still be close friends although there are many areas of their lives that are different. The children’s parents also play a positive role in supporting and helping to satisfying their innocent enquiries. The text is succinct, simple and direct. The author shows skill and sensitivity throughout the book whilst avoiding a patronising tone. In summary the book will be a good addition to any school library and also prove useful for reading at home. The Illustrations are a combination of real photographs and artwork using bright and bold colours which help to bring the text to life.
I love this picture book! It is an ideal story for discussing cross-cultural friendships with pre-readers and young readers. Joseph tells about the two families in a straight forward way free of bias and ethnocentricity. Anna McQuinn covers a lot of topics in this little book: tolerance of different religions, refugees and civil war, English as a Second language, and differences within a culture and religion – Although at first glance the illustrations and photographs didn't appeal to me, as soon as I read the story I saw how well they tie together. The illustrations, a combination of photography and art, are bright and bold, and complement the narrative. Despite the serious undertones in the story, it consistently remains light-hearted and age-appropriate. It is refreshing to see a children's book addressing the topic of cultural diversity in such a non-judgmental way. Many adults would benefit from reading this book too!
The book is a boy’s narration of his culturally diverse yet completely uncomplicated friendship with another boy his age. In other words it is a celebration of an unadulterated friendship that oversteps borders, religion and culture. Our little narrator, Joseph, introduces to us readers, his friend Jamal of Somali origin, however, born in the same hospital as him, the same month! After sharing with us the staples of their friendship built on activities and interests that are typical to boys their age, Joseph lets us into more unexpected specifics… What catches the reader’s attention is the non-judgmental and intrigued tone with which the small boy speaks. This book can be an ideal pick for discussing cross-cultural friendships with children. The details though raw are real and gentle. The illustrations are a combination of photography and art – bold, colorful and explicit, just as the front cover indicates. A wonderful work that showcases how children adjust and adapt to strikingly contrasting cultural canvases while holding on to their own individualistic identities, something that nature and puerility seem to take care of. The text is written in a breathless style with lots of dashes and exclamation marks to capture the casual speech of a child. Topics mentioned are of interest to young readers, such as food, smells (their mothers use different spices), games, etc. Both text and pictures project an energetic friendly tone… A useful title for discussing friendship or the reasons for immigrating. It's difficult to find books with Somali characters, or touch on Somalian culture. Where I live there is a large population of Somali children in our schools. I really like the book, My Friend Jamal. It's told from a young boy's point of view. He talks about his friendship with Jamal, a boy whose family immigrated to the United States from Somalia. Joseph tells of the similarities the two boys share - they both like to play superheroes and play basketball; he also mentions their differences - Jamal's family reads the Koran and Joseph's family reads the Bible. I appreciate the honesty in the book. Joseph says, "Jamal's mom and dad were born in Somalia, in Africa—but a lot of fighting started and people were getting killed. It was very dangerous, so they had to escape. They came here because there's no fighting."
Click here to the first pod-cast review of My Friend Jamal (These reviewers are talking about the North American edition - the book is set in a UK city) Click here to hear Anna McQuinn discuss My Friend Jamal
Jamal (Mohammed Rage) and Joseph (Liam Shanks) sign copies at the launch of My Friend Jamal:
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