Abdullah's Bear Needs a Name!

Quick Look

• A gentle but powerful story about the value of cultural heritage
• Features a contemporary British-South Asian, Muslim family and celebrates shared traditions across generations
• Based on Yasmin Hanif's real-life experience of children from South Asian backgrounds defaulting to European names for a teddy bear
• Sophie Benmouyal's bold, colourful illustrations imbue the story with warmth and a cosy atmosphere

Abdullah is given a teddy for Eid, but he can't figure out what the bear's name is -- it's not Edward or Bertie or Olivia. Then after hearing a family story from Pakistan Abdullah has an idea -- maybe the bear has a name from his own culture.

Description

To celebrate Eid, Abdullah's parents give him a cuddly teddy bear. The bear used to belong to Abdullah's dad, his abba, and it has a name, but Abba won't say what it is!

Abdullah and his new bear become inseparable, but he can't guess what its name is. His siblings, friends and classmates all have suggestions -- Bertie, Katie, Olivia, Edward -- but none of them feels right. Then one night, when Abba tells a story from long ago in Pakistan, Abdullah remembers his family's traditions and has an idea. What if the bear has a name like his name?

In this sweet but powerful story, children will learn to value their cultural heritage and about the special bonds between family generations.

Yasmin Hanif wrote Abdullah's Bear Needs a Name! after working with schoolchildren on a project to tackle the lack of diversity in children's books. The story was inspired by the real-life experience of children from South Asian backgrounds defaulting to traditionally European names for a teddy bear. Sophie Benmouyal's bold and fun illustrations are full of character, texture and authentic details.

Author

Yasmin Hanif is a Scottish-Pakistani author, poet and educator from a Muslim background. She worked on the 'We Can Be Heroes' project which tackled the lack of diversity in children's literature and won several awards including the Scottish Awards for Minority Ethnic Educators, the Aspiring Writers Award and The Scottish Education Curriculum Innovation Award. Yasmin's debut picture book Abdullah's Bear Needs a Name! is inspired by this project. Yasmin lives in the west of Scotland.

Sophie Benmouyal was born in Canada to a French-Canadian mother and a Moroccan father. She is a children's book illustrator and graphic designer based in Montreal, Canada. She has two young daughters, a love of the outdoors and a compulsive children's book buying habit.