Book Review: Zamzam for Everyone

January 21, 2026 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

Zamzam for Everyone: Sharing Water at Hajj by Razeena Omar Gutta and illutstrated by Bassent Dawoud, explores Hajj from a child’s point of view.

For those who don’t know, Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which is a mandatory act for Muslims at least once in their lives. Specifically they go to the Kaaba, also known as the House of Allah.

Hajj takes place in 2026 when I’m writing this from May 24-29. Millions of Muslims travel to Mecca during that time to show solidarity with other Muslims and submission of Allah, and as a way to cleanse their sins. There are many rituals and prayers involved, most famously walking around the Kaaba seven times, but also includes a pilgrimage to Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

In the story, Mariam and her parents are at Hajj and her mother tells her it is a time to do good, so she decides to share her zamzam –water from an ancient well — with other people as they complete the rituals. As they go on their journey she meets many people from different countries who also share food and drinks with her and her family.

She meets “new friends speaking a language I don’t know, but somehow understand. Thank you can be a simple smile, a friendly wave, a warm hug.”

At the back of the book there’s the story of zamzam, a special well in Mecca (spelled Makkah in this book) said to be opened by the angel Gabriel for Abraham’s wife Hagar. There’s also a look at some of the foods mentioned in the book, an exploration of all the steps of Hajj, how people dress for the journey and the pillars of Islam.

The book provides a basic overview of what Hajj is and why people do it that would be valuable for Muslim kids and others who want to understand the values of their Islamic neighbors. It’s a sweet story of sharing and helping others as well as a look into a religious experience that people who aren’t Muslim might not know much about.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover or paperback, published 2026 by Barefoot Books. Suggested retail price $17.99 for hardcover and $9.99 for paperback.

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Book Review: Borders

My brother went through a phase where he was obsessed with maps. He loved to look at maps and he would draw maps of places real and imagined. He even drew maps that followed our route when we’d go to visit our grandparents in another state!

I assume there are still kids who go through map phases, and kids with an interest in history and how things got to be the way they are. Both kinds of kids will enjoy the book Borders: Understanding the Lines that Unite and Separate Us by Karim Ressouni-Demigneux, with illustrations by Karine Maincent.

The book describes how the original borders were natural, such as oceans, rivers, mountains and deserts, and while some of those borders are still in use today, many borders are human made, decided by treaties or carved out by colonizers. It covers the history of people congregating in one place and how city-states evolved into empires, how maps are drawn and how human conflicts can reshape borders.

There are stories about walls that reinforce borders, how borders work in the air and at sea, how people cross borders with passports or as refugees and how climate change is altering the borders of some countries.

You’ll also learn some fun border facts like the fact that if you stand in the middle of the bridge over the Zambezi River you can be in four countries at once because that’s where the borders of Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe meet. Or how there is only one border crossing between India and Pakistan that’s closed each night in an elaborate ceremony.

The book talks about time zones, border towns and places where countries and parts of countries are inside other countries and places where borders are less important such as the European Union.

While there are serious subjects in the book, it’s still a fun read that’s sure to interest those kids around ages 8-12 who like travel, maps and weird but true facts.

About the book: 72 pages, hardcover, published 2026 by Blue Dot Kids Press. Suggested retail price $21.95.

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