Speak Up Sami

Speak Up Sami is an Islamic picture book for children aged 4 to 9 about a shy boy who finds the courage to stand up for a new classmate who is being teased.

Sami is a quiet boy with no real friends. He dreads going to school, gets ready as slowly as he can and eats his lunch alone. When a new boy called Gamba joins the class from Zimbabwe, Sami is curious about him but cannot find the words to say hello. Then, in the playground, he sees other children laughing at Gamba's glasses, his hair and the way he talks. Sami remembers his mum's advice: when you see something wrong, take action and speak up.

What he says is small, but it changes everything. Sami and Gamba become best friends, and the class learns from their teacher, Mrs Patel, that in their school differences are celebrated, not laughed at. Gamba's grandmother has taught him that our differences show the majesty of our Creator, and that we should be happy with who we are.

Written by Shabana Hussain and illustrated by Mariam Aldacher, the story gives children words for a feeling many of them know: the hot ears and fluttering tummy of being scared to speak. It shows that courage does not mean feeling no fear, and that one kind sentence can turn a lonely day into a friendship.

A quiet boy

Sami was a quiet boy, and he did not have any real friends. When the other children teased him, his ears and his face felt hot. Sami did not like going to school. Every morning he got up very slowly, got ready even more slowly, and arrived late. In the playground he watched the others play. At lunchtime he ate by himself, and in the reading corner he sat on his own.

A new boy called Gamba

One Monday morning, his teacher, Mrs Patel, introduced a new boy from Zimbabwe called Gamba. She asked the class to be patient with him because he was new. Sami had never heard the name Gamba before, and he had never heard of Zimbabwe either. He wondered where it was in the world.

Gamba caught Sami's eye and gave him a little smile. All day, Sami wondered about him. What was his favourite toy? Which superhero did he like best? What was his favourite pudding? Sami really wanted to ask, but the questions would not come out.

The day Sami spoke up

At playtime, Sami noticed some children teasing Gamba. They would not let him play. They said his glasses were too big, his hair was too fuzzy and he talked funny. Sami did not like it at all. Gamba heard them say his name in a silly way, but he went on playing as if he did not care.

Sami did not understand. Did their horrible words not make Gamba's ears burn too? The bullies pointed and laughed, and Sami felt something strange in his tummy. It grew stronger and travelled up his body until it tingled on the tip of his tongue. He knew he should do something, but he was scared.

Then he remembered his mum's words: "When you see something wrong, take action and speak up." The feeling pushed at his lips like a bubble ready to pop.

"I like Gamba's glasses," Sami said quietly.

Everyone went quiet and stared at him. Sami's ears burned, but Gamba's eyes lit up. He pushed his glasses up his nose and said, "Thank you," with a big grin. Sami's heart felt warm, like one of his mum's hugs. The bullies kept saying unkind things, but the two boys ignored them.

"I'm Sami," he said softly. "Do you want to play?" Gamba tagged him and ran off laughing, and Sami ran after him.

A week of new things

On Tuesday, Sami found out that Gamba's favourite toy was Lego. On Wednesday, he learned that Gamba's favourite superhero was Iron Man. On Thursday, in geography, he found Zimbabwe on the map.

On Friday, Mrs Patel asked everyone to share their favourite pudding. When Gamba named a dish from home, some of the children laughed. Sami did not. "Is this how we make someone feel welcome?" Mrs Patel asked, and the class went quiet. This time, when Sami spoke to Gamba, he had no strange feeling in his tummy and his ears did not feel hot. Speaking up was getting easier.

"In our school," said Mrs Patel, "we don't laugh at differences."

"We celebrate them!" the whole class shouted.

Later, Sami quietly asked Gamba whether the laughing bothered him. Gamba said his grandmother had told him that his name means "warrior", so he was strong enough to deal with anything. She had also told him that our differences show the majesty of our Creator, and that we should be happy with who we are.

Best friends

From then on, Sami and Gamba played tag together at playtime, ate together at lunchtime and sat together in the reading corner. Every morning Sami got up quickly, got ready fast and was the first one in class, because he could not wait to see his friend. Sami had a best friend now, and he was not so quiet any more.