Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow takes the responsibility of being a Black Muslim picture book author, a veteran educator, and a mentor seriously. Her books for young readers include Mommy’s Khimar (illustrated by Ebony Glenn), Your Name Is a Song (illustrated by Luisa Uribe), Sister Friend (Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani), and Salat in Secret (illustrated by Hatem Aly), and her two upcoming titles are Together We Are Sunshine and Ramadan Rain. PW spoke with Thompkins-Bigelow about the importance of centering Black and Muslim characters in her stories, and the joy she hopes to spark and spread in her readers, students, and mentees.
You began your career as a classroom teacher. What have been the best and the most difficult parts of your teaching experience?
I’ve worked as an educator for more than 15 years, teaching children and teens in schools and alternative settings and writing anti-racist curricula. The best part was and still is teaching writing. I believe that writing opens a world for students and makes them more intelligent. I want all kids to have the chance to express themselves, especially those who have a similar background to mine—students who are Black or brown, and from low-income households. Often times, these kids are not encouraged to develop their writing or thinking. That’s why I was so passionate about giving these kids opportunities to be writers and thinkers: the ones driving conversations and creating interesting things. I wanted them to know that they have something of value to say. There seemed to be real pressure on inner-city kids to learn for testing, and that’s not really learning. This is why I ended up leaving the traditional classroom.
When did you first start thinking about writing for kids?
I dreamed of being a writer when I was seven years old, but as the years went on, I thought that it was an impractical goal. However, all through high school and college I was writing and taught writing on the side. Sometimes, I’d write an article and get it published, but I wasn’t taking writing seriously. That was until I had my own children. I began reading lots of picture books to them, and I fell in love with children’s books! Sometimes, after putting my kids to bed, I’d go back and look at the books, take them apart, and analyze them like I did with my AP students. I used picture books in my classes to teach figurative language and complex subjects for discussion.
The more I read picture books, a light went on inside of me. I wanted more books with Black boys and Muslim kids, but I wasn’t seeing either. At a certain point, I just started writing stories of my own.
Mommy’s Khimar was your first children’s book published by Simon & Schuster’s Salaam Reads imprint, in 2018. Can you tell us how this book came to be?
A friend who worked for AltMuslimah magazine connected me with an editor at Simon & Schuster [Zareen Jaffery] who had started a new line of Muslim children’s books called Salaam Reads. The editor had put out a call that she was looking for books about Muslim kids written by Muslim authors, but she could not find any Black Muslim children’s books, although we are a significant population of American Muslims. She asked me if I would like to submit a story to her and I did. It wasn’t accepted immediately, but eventually, I got a publishing deal. I was so thankful; I realize that getting published in children’s books doesn’t normally happen this way. It would be another two years of developing as a writer and polishing manuscripts until I found an agent and sold my second book, Your Name Is a Song [Innovation Press].
You have eight books to your name, all centering Black Muslim characters. Can you discuss your somewhat personal title, Sister Friend, and your two upcoming titles?
Sister Friend is a bit autobiographical. When I first went to school, I felt invisible and ended up leaving that school and going to another one. This story is about what the experience might have been like if I had stayed. It’s about exploring the idea of what if I had made a friend with someone else who was also excluded.
When visiting schools, I sometimes notice kids who look different than everyone else sitting apart—and I see myself. Through my story, I want each of these kids to know that there’s nothing wrong with them, and they deserve to have friendships. And I’d like the other kids to recognize themselves and start asking the questions: who are we excluding? What friendships are we missing out on?
Together We Are Sunshine (Oct.) is about three sisters who are exploring their relationship and the woods while trying to capture the sunshine. I remember as a kid trying to jump up and grab the sun. Like my characters, I love hiking and exploring nature. All readers need stories with characters of color just being kids. I also feel that Black kids need to see stories about young people like them just being in nature. We need diverse stories where our identities are not the source of conflict or the main topic. Most of all, I wanted to capture Black girl joy. and put it on the page.
And my upcoming title, Ramadan Rain, is coming out in May 2026. It’s a lesson about prayer and gratitude. While the girl, Haneen, initially prays for things she wants, her family cannot afford them. She learns to pray for other types of things like a fun day with Momma. Rain plays an important role in the story because Muslims believe that when it rains, God is open to hearing us more and giving His blessings. So, when it rains, it’s a good time to pray.
What are your hopes for your books and your readers?
Many of my books include the themes of Blackness, Muslimness, Black Muslimness, identity, acceptance, and neurodiversity. They are big pieces of my heart, and my stories. I always want my readers to feel fully loved for who they are. I want readers to feel joy in themselves and project that joy to others.
In addition to writing full-time, you offer author visits and mentor programming. What kind of work do you do in that space?
I’ve never stopped wanting to be a teacher. So doing author visits and getting back into the classroom brings me both joy and happiness. When mentoring, I feel this urge to talk to other authors about their writing and to help them to reach their goals. I’m a program committee member for the Highlights Foundation’s Muslim Storytellers Program, which helps aspiring and established Muslim children’s book authors and illustrators. It has been a wonderful way to build our community. And with We Need Diverse Books, I’ve mentored authors through its Black author programs. I love talking to Black authors about their writing, the industry, and helping them get where they want to go.
Why is helping other Black and Muslim authors such a passion project?
I believe that when you get into spaces where you are the first one, especially when you’re a person from a marginalized group, you can’t take up the space by yourself. It’s important to say, “I’m in this space now, who else is coming to stand here, and who else can I pull into this space with me?” I cannot write all the books. I don’t want to write all the books. And I don’t think that I should write all the books. I have one voice, and there are other voices with different points of view and different kinds of stories. Kids need those different voices. I get joy by helping authors, as I also do by helping my readers feel joy.
