• Age: 7 to 11
• Grade: 2 to 6
• Reading age: 7 to 11

The life story of Ibn Sina (980-1037), one of the greatest philosophers, scientists and physicians of the Islamic world.

Born in Persia more than a thousand years ago, Ibn Sina was one of the greatest thinkers of his time — a philosopher, scientist and physician who made significant discoveries, especially in the field of medicine, and wrote more than one hundred books.

As a child, Ibn Sina was extremely bright, a voracious reader who loved to learn and was fortunate to have the best teachers. He memorized the Qur’an by the age of ten and completed his medical studies at sixteen. He spent his life traveling, treating the sick, seeking knowledge through research, and writing about his discoveries. He came up with new theories in the fields of physics, chemistry, astronomy and education. His most famous work is The Canon of Medicine, a collection of books that were used for teaching in universities across the Islamic world and Europe for centuries.

Ibn Sina’s story, told in the first person and beautifully illustrated, provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of the great intellects of the past.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3

Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3

Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

Fatima Sharafeddine was born in Beirut and spent her early childhood in Sierra Leone. Her family returned to Lebanon when she was still a child, and she spent fifteen years living through the Lebanese civil war. After receiving a B.A. in Early Childhood Education, she moved to the United States, where she earned a master’s degree in education and another in Arabic literature. She has taught preschool in Houston, Texas, and Arabic language and culture classes at Rice University. She is an active member of the Lebanese section of IBBY (LBBY) and has written more than ninety books for young children. Her most recent books are the young adult novels The Servant and Ghady and Rawan.

Fatima has twice been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She has also been nominated for the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation. She now divides her time between Beirut and Brussels, where she writes and translates full time.

Fatima Sharafeddine's profile page

Intelaq Mohammed Ali is an Iraqi illustrator, graphic designer and author with thirty years’ experience in the field of children’s culture. Her illustrations and writing have appeared in more than eighty books and magazines for children and adults, and she has made thirty-two animations. Her work has been exhibited in more than fifty international shows, winning a total of nine awards in Japan, Jordan, Iran and Lebanon.

The Amazing Travels of Ibn Battuta, first published in the United Arab Emirates and illustrated by Intelaq Mohammed Ali, was selected for the IBBY Honour List, and Hakaza tatagayar alalwan (Thus the Colors Change), which she wrote and illustrated, has been reviewed in the White Ravens Catalogue (International Youth Library, Germany).

Intelaq has been selected as a jury member for the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature and the Sharjah Exhibition for Children’s Book Illustration. She has actively participated in many international workshops and seminars, including the UNESCO-BIB Workshop for Illustrators of Children’s Books in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the first IBBY Regional Conference for Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa in Sharjah, UAE.

Intelaq Ali's profile page

Readers will learn much about his contributions to the fields of philosophy, education, and medicine.

Publishers Weekly

The personal telling adds immediacy to this fascinating story. . . . Highly recommended.

CM Magazine

A universal celebration of curiosity and the unrelenting pursuit of knowledge.

Brain Pickings