Malala's Magic Pencil

Everything about this book is beautiful, the story, the gold, the story behind the pencil, the representation, its highlight of social issues while providing hope, everything. Written by the young Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Pakistani education activist Malala herself. A must read for children and a must have for school libraries and elementary classrooms.

I want my daughter and my sons to read about courageous women and girls. It’s hard to imagine a more courageous story than Malala’s. First, this book was appropriate for kids of multiple ages. My 7 and 9-year olds learned more about Malala from the detailed pictures. Her concrete home has cracked walls. A group of children literally pick through a trash heap to feed their families. There is a power in illustration to tell the context of the story, and for my two kids who already know Malala’s story and can learn more from illustration - well, it’s powerful. My 4-year-old has been deeply affected by recent school shootings near our house, and I didn’t want to read a book about someone getting shot going to school because he doesn’t need that right now - and nuance is lost when you’re four. This book gives you the option to talk about it or not. Malala is in a hospital gown with a bracelet on one page, but the shooting isn’t explicit. I have read the book several times with my little one, and he gets the courage and the context without getting more freaked out. Finally, the whole frame of her pencil being magical is just brilliant. Gold foil writing creeps across each page. And kids get that sometimes just telling your story - or listening to stories and taking action - is the central act of courage.

[Originally reviewed on chalkacademy(dot)com] Malala herself wrote this beautiful story about the magic of the pen, the power of the human voice. She begins the story about a television show that inspired her to dream of a magic pencil. As she grows up, she realizes the magic is her own voice and bravery to speak up. The shooting isn’t mentioned, but Malala alludes to it on one page: “My voice became so powerful that the dangerous men tried to silence me. But they failed.” This is a true #ownvoices autobiographical picture book. Highly recommend for elementary school history / social studies, and it's just a wonderfully inspiring book to have at home. We're so grateful to have this book in both English and Chinese!

This beautifully illustrated book tells an important true story in an age-appropriate way that can help start a conversation about people (specifically children) in other countries and the challenges they face. Malala discusses her experiences with learning that not all children receive an education and the mission she is on to help advocate for all children, particularly girls, to get an education. For children in Western cultures in particular, this book will expose them to a different culture, a different religion (although Islam is not mentioned but she does wear a hijab), and help parents explain some of the difficult current events impacting our world. Malala has several books for various age ranges and this is perfect for younger children to start getting to know her story.

Beautiful story and my grandson loved it. He is 8. Changing the world one child at a time. And a great story.

I purchased this book for a school assignment, although I had considered purchasing it on many occasions just because. I knew the basics of the story of Malala, but I had no idea how it would translate to a children’s book. Malala did an amazing job creating a book that told her story in a way that children can grasp and connect with. I read this story with my daughter and I almost cried because I knew what happened to Malala when the bad men tried to “silence” her. My daughter even at only 2 1/2 years old enjoyed the story. This is one I will use in my classroom as a future teacher as well as read over and over again with my daughter. Everyone should read this book, children and adults alike.

inspiring and encourages everyone to use their voice to stand up for whats right no matter age , kids can change the world too

A beautiful book that I gave to my 7-year-old cousin for Christmas. It features some gorgeous gold print and tells an excellent story. The story is child-sensitive, and it doesn't gloss over Malala being shot, but it does make the incident as child-friendly for consumption as possible (it says something like "someone hurt me"), which I appreciated. It allows people to have productive conversations with young readers. My cousin loved the book, and I loved being able to give her a beautiful gift that I hope leaves an impression upon her.

ぜひ、皆にも読んでもらいたい絵本です。

What a beautifully illustrated story. It is a simple ready for kids till 10 years and doesn’t go into any gory details but the parent can always share the true Malala story. Love this book.

An excellent picture book where Malala recounts her true story in a way that is suitable for a young audience from about 3-4 years old. Malala used to love a TV show called Shaka Laka Boom Boom and wished for a magic pencil like the boy on TV. However, when real trouble came, described in the book as 'powerful and dangerous men declared that girls should be forbidden from going to school' Malala needed just her voice and an ordinary pen to write about her life and that of her friends. The actual shooting is not mentioned for this audience (religion mentioned at all either). The text is simply written on a black page 'My voice became so powerful that dangerous men tried to silence me'. 'They failed'. On the opposite page is a drawing of Malala with her back to us, the only clue that she is in hospital is a hospital name tag around her wrist. I think this is a very delicate and touching way to present this horror where that adult can make a call whether to leave it at that, or answer any questions a child may have in a way they see fit. The ending is triumphant , of course, with Malala continuing to use her ordinary pencil and her ordinary voice to stand up for the rights of all people to have an education and to live in peace and safety. A must have book for every school and home.

We loved this book. We think all adults should read it too. A great example of how finding your voice, no matter how small at the beginning, can profoundly raise awareness and change lives.

Beautiful story, beautiful illustration, beautiful support to education. It is all about human rights. We all love it so much.