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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Activities and Crafts for Johnny Appleseed Day

Johnny Appleseed Day is sometimes celebrated on Sept. 26 because that is John Chapman’s birthday, but even if you’re just doing an apple unit study for fall it’s a great time to talk about Johnny Appleseed.

And that’s the place to start, that Johnny Appleseed was a real person named John Chapman who was born in 1774 in what was then the province of Massachusetts Bay. He traveled west when he turned 18 and despite the image of him randomly tossing apple seeds everywhere, he was really a deliberate planter of apple tree nurseries, which he left in the care of others and checked on every year or two.

Learn a little more of his story with these cute coloring pages (though not entirely historically accurate, they’re still cute) from Homeschool of 1. They also have a Johnny Appleseed themed word search printable.

This pin of a Scholastic News page doesn’t link to a website, but it gives you some basic information and a true and false quiz you can use with kids.

Crystal & Co. has a cute apple themed counting mini book you can print and use with your Johnny Appleseed unit. They also have some coloring pages with a bit of handwriting practice. Or practice cutting with the Johnny Appleseed themed worksheets from 3 Boys and a Dog.

Make a Johnny Appleseed puppet to help tell the story with this craft with a free printable template from Simple Everyday Mom. You’ll also find some cute printable worksheets there to learn his story and put it in the correct order.

Color, cut out and assemble this Johnny Appleseed drawing from Homeschool Preschool. They also have an apple seed counting activity you can use for practicing one to one correspondence.

Tiaras and Tantrums has a free printable apple unit that includes Johnny Appleseed facts and coloring pages, as well as how to say apple in different languages, tracing apple vocabulary, art project ideas, science experiments and more.

And if you need more apple themed activities to go with your Johnny Appleseed celebrations, check out my posts on apple crafts and apple learning activities.

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