Abdullah receives a very special Eid gift – a cuddly teddy that used to belong to his abba (dad). He loves the bear very much and soon the two are inseparable; when Abdullah goes shopping, to classes at the madrasa, to dinner with Auntie Fatima, or to play cricket, the bear goes too. There’s just one thing: Abdullah still hasn’t decided on a name for the bear and Abba says it has to be his decision.
His family and school friends all have suggestions, and a trip to the local museum inspires more ideas, but none of them are right. It’s only after Abba has told him one of his favourite stories from Pakistan that it all becomes clear and Abdullah realises that the best name for the bear will be one like his. He chooses Nadeem, which means friendship.
This is a lovely story and readers of all backgrounds will enjoy following Abdullah and his bear and share the excitement as the story reaches its conclusion. It also gently shows readers how much names matter, as well as emphasising the importance of heritage and culture, and of seeing and celebrating your own in your stories.
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.
'A brilliant debut picture book from Glasgow talent Yasmin Hanif. A sweet and important book about recognising that it’s okay and good to use names from your own culture.' — Maisie Chan
Author
About Yasmin Hanif
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.
