Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball
Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball | Judith Henderson, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir
2 posts | 2 read
A Muslim American girl at the top of her game makes a difficult choice in this powerful and beautifully told true story about breaking barriers. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir was born to play basketball. At three, she has her own hoop. By seventeen, she's the star player on her school's varsity team. On the day of the playoffs, though, the referee says she can't play while wearing her hijab. Her teammates refuse to play, the crowd shouts its support and the referee relents. With that game, Bilqis becomes the all-time lead scorer in Massachusetts State history and goes on to play college ball, where she is the first woman to play in a hijab in the NCAA - she even plays basketball with President Obama at the White House! The story follows Bilqis into adulthood and her heartbreaking decision to walk away from a professional basketball career when the rules once again won't allow her to wear a hijab. Bilqis becomes an activist, fighting for years on the international stage advocating for young Muslim women, and eventually the rule is overturned. Written in free verse in a voice that captures the cadence of the game, this picture book biography, coauthored by Bilqis and award-winning writer Judith Henderson, is both a love poem to the sport of basketball and an inspiring story about how one person can effect change. Richly colored illustrations by Katherine Ahmed add further emotional depth to the story. This book will spark discussions about respect, beliefs, values, culture and discrimination. Back matter includes biographical information, photos and a list of sources for further exploration. Lion on the Inside is the first book in the CitizenKid collection that is geared to younger readers ages 5 to 8.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
LibrarianRyan
Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball | Judith Henderson, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir
post image
Pickpick

4 ⭐ This is the true story about the first woman to play in the NCAA with a hijab. This book starts from her girlhood and how she always plays ball up to her college career and even trying to turn pro. But the pros had denied her because of the hijab. She fought to get the rules changed, and she won. This is an interesting book. The author chooses a strange way of telling the story. It has a unique rhythm and wordplay

LibrarianRyan that is not normally seen in a picture book. This isn‘t bad it‘s just odd. It was an interesting look at a real person who is making change not just for themselves but for other girls as well. 13mo
38 likes1 comment
review
JoyBlue
Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball | Judith Henderson, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir
post image
Pickpick

This inspiring children‘s picture book tells the story of talented basketball player-turned-activist Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#lion-on-the-inside

Publication is expected September 5.

#NetGalley #KidsCanPress #LionontheInside