A bit about me. My great aunt and uncle immigrated to the United States in the ’70s. There was a shortage of doctors, and visas were being given to foreign medical graduates. My great aunt, Ayesha, financially stable, sponsored my recently widowed grandmother, Sophia.
After struggling with the American immigration system for many years, my parents and I finally immigrated to the United States in 1986. It was not an easy choice. When my father first came to the U.S., he couldn’t get a $500 loan to buy a car. He worked two jobs, and my mother studied twice as hard. After 10 years, they earned their American dream: being an Accountant and Physician, giving their two daughters a good education, and keeping the culture and country we left behind alive in our hearts.
My parents and I came to the U.S.A and discovered this new country and culture together. I remember teaching my mother to make french toast at the age of six because I saw Pee Wee Herman make them. I learned about American culture from books, television, and from my peers, but my first generation children have the unique experience of learning about Muslim American and South Asian American culture from me.
I started IslamiMommy to share the traditions and activities that bring joy to my family. It began as a way to offer value to other parents. Now, it has grown into a lifelong creative calling. In the process of writing my blog posts I discovered wonderful picture books. In 2019, I asked myself a big, scary question. What was stopping me from writing my own stories and illustrating them? So I started the long journey to learn how to write picture books, how to illustrate picture books, and how to navigate the publishing industry. After A LOT of work, I published my first picture book in February 2023, Moon’s Ramadan (HarperCollins). Alhamdulillah.
Since 2023, my published picture books include Moon’s Ramadan (HarperCollins), Lulu in the Spotlight (HarperCollins), and Bela and Lily (Penguin). Each story reflects a piece of my world: faith, family, and friendship. My books invite young readers to see beauty in their own stories. They find it in the world around them. They see it in the glow of the crescent moon. They notice it in the sparkle of a wedding stage.
Peace & Salam,
Natasha Khan Kazi
Islamimommy 