The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue: Guest review

Written by Zoulfa Katouh

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

978-0316351942

368 pp.

Ages 12+ 

June 2026 

 

 

This guest review was written by Laura Krause.

 

A Powerful Read for Any Age 

 

YA fantasy is a genre that can be looked down upon or dismissed as marginal or insignificant. The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh is proof that this genre can be nuanced, elevated, and beautifully written.

This story of The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue follows a teen girl named Jihad who, in her high school senior year, is enrolled at a prestigious school by her father and sister. She is told that it will be an important step in securing her a coveted spot at her dream university. However, coming shortly after the death of her mother and being the only Muslim in a school of predominantly rich, white students, the transition is a tough one for Jihad. Sadly, her final year is overwhelmed by devastating bullying and abuse largely spurred by prejudice.

One bright light for Jihad in a school where she is bullied is her friendship with Jamie. As the main character, Jihad is brave, resilient, creative, and funny, but Jamie, who is probably my favourite book character from any book I’ve read this year, is a ray of hope and sunshine in an often heavy and emotionally charged story. He becomes her closest confidant and provides a lifeline for both Jihad and the reader during the most turbulent and hard-to-read sections of this novel. I became so attached to this supporting character, a Muslim convert who’d been raised by his Vietnamese grandmother, that I often annotated my review text with, “Why is Jamie so great?” and “Everyone needs a Jamie.” The Jamies in this world are those that help you through hard times and when you’re struggling to find your own voice.

As I read about the bullying that Jihad experiences, I had two very strong and different reactions. First, I wondered how teenagers could be so horrible and how could the adults be so terrible at protecting and advocating for all students. My second reaction was that I was actually not that surprised. Given the current political climate of the world, I could easily see this happening. Because bullying, whether racially motivated or otherwise, has always been a big problem for teens, this novel will resonate with them. Zoulfa Katouh does a phenomenal job at demonstrating that it is not the responsibility of the victims of bullying to educate those around them, because too often their pleas for help go unanswered. It is the responsibility of those with privilege to fight for those who have none. Onus is on the oppressor, not the oppressed. 

I’m reminded that much prejudice is rooted in ignorance. For example, if her classmates had learned why Jihad wears a hijab, their negative stereotypes might have been dispelled. In contrast, I was struck by the beauty of Jihad’s Syrian background, specifically the food and culture. With her friend Jamie having a Vietnamese connection, I now look forward to trying the numerous Syrian and Vietnamese dishes discussed, having learned much about these two cultures including their languages and history. It’s unfortunate that her classmates could not have given Jihad the same regard.

What distinguishes the story of The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue is that it is not only a story of bullying, but also a gorgeous work of magical realism. This sub-genre of fantasy, to which I was only recently introduced, is hard to write well. But Zoulfa Katouh writes it beautifully, making the story sing. Jihad’s mother could speak to jellyfish, and Jihad, herself a true artist, creates magical murals around the city. These whimsical brushes with the unexplained and the fantastic become powerful tools in Zoulfa Katouh’s hands, elevating the messages at the core of the book, drawing the reader in to Jihad’s story.

This novel is in the top three books I have read this year, and I am so grateful I was provided a copy for the purposes of this review. I now need to go pick up the author’s first novel, the award-winning As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022). Our world needs more of Zoulfa Katouh’s profoundly emotional stories, which she tells with skill and heart.

• • • • • 

~ Laura Krause (or LauraK483 as she is known online) is an aspiring book editor with a background in live theatre. She obtained her BFA in Theatre Production and Design from York University, and a master’s degree in Stage and Event Management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She is currently completing the Editorial Skills program at George Brown Polytechnic. When she isn't working or reading, she is likely streaming video games on her Twitch channel or planning her next TTRPG project.

 

People Are My Favorite Places

 

Written and illustrated by Ani Castillo

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

978-0-316424660

40 pp.

Ages 4-9

January 2024 

While we are still living with a pandemic, we are no longer subjected to lockdowns and the isolation that came with them. For many, the inability to go places had more to do with not seeing people: family, friends, and newly-met acquaintances. As she did in her earlier picture books Ping and Spark, Ani Castillo shares an important message about appreciating those who are part of our lives, whether we know them or not. 

From People Are My Favorite Places, written and illustrated by Ani Castillo

Although a young girl recognizes all the things which she can no longer do or see when "I was stuck in my room, all alone, forever and ever," she realizes that it's the people involved in those activities that she really misses. Visiting places like her grandparents' house or the movie theatre or travelling is not about the place but the people with whom she spends time.

From People Are My Favorite Places, written and illustrated by Ani Castillo

She recognizes that there are a lot of people she knows and missed, from her piano teacher to her friends and the locals she meets when travelling. It's all the "sweet, lovely people who were once there with me" with whom she laughed, ate noodles, chatted, held hands, and more. And she recognizes the people she missed came in all shapes, colours, ages, and textures, but she missed them all for their touch, their smell, their warmth and so much more.

From People Are My Favorite Places, written and illustrated by Ani Castillo

But most of all, she realizes that she had learned an important lesson during that time:

Because now

I see clearly

that the landscape, the place

most precious to me

is the world inside someone

I love

very dearly.

From People Are My Favorite Places, written and illustrated by Ani Castillo

The innocence of the child in expressing how she feels will be very familiar to children who missed out on a lot of things during lockdowns, from schooling, and family visits, to travel and socializing. They will all remember how isolated they felt and how much they craved being somewhere other than their rooms or their homes. But this child has the insight to realize it wasn't just being someplace, it was being with someone that made it all that it was: rich in experience, embracing in affection, uniting in companionship. That insightful innocence comes through in Ani Castillo's artwork. Using black coloured pencil, watercolour, and gouache, Ani Castillo makes us see every one of those people who are the landscape of this child's life.  There are her peers, her teachers, her family, and those people that she might meet when travelling. Known or unknown, these people are what make those places vibrant and significant.

Though I worry that too many people have forgotten what it was like to be without the people in their lives, I hope that People Are My Favorite Places will remind them so that we don't have to go through further isolation such as lockdowns to appreciate the magnitude of their contributions to the fabric of our lives. They take our landscapes from barren to lush and vibrant, and even if we don't want to partake in that vibrancy every moment, knowing that we can reach out to it any time is important.

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family

Written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali

Illustrated by Hatem Aly

Little Brown Books for Young Readers

978-0-31651-900-7

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

September 2019

Rites of passage are important in many cultures though the nature of those rites can differ significantly or share commonalities. Many rites include those as a young person enters puberty and adulthood. For Faizah's older sister Asiya, it's the first day she will wear the hijab regularly, including to school. At home, Mama and Faizah are so excited as twelve-year-old Asiya chooses the  brightest blue, "The color of the ocean, if you squint your eyes and pretend there's no line between the water and the sky." But how will their schoolmates react to the princess Faizah sees in Asiya?

From The Proudest Blue, written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali, illus. by Hatem Aly

When Faizah's classmate asks, she explains that it's a scarf, recognizing that it's like "the sky on a sunny day. The sky isn't a whisper. It's always there, special and regular." But, though Asiya is excited, Faizah is worried for her, especially when some boys laugh at her sister.

From The Proudest Blue, written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali, illus. by Hatem Aly

Faizah is perplexed. The blue hijab is sky and water, strong and important, and these children do not understand. While Asiya and her friends ignore the taunts of the boys, Faizah remembers all the advice her mother had given them.

Don't carry around the hurtful words that others say. Drop them. They are not yours to keep.

From The Proudest Blue, written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali, illus. by Hatem Aly

Muslim American Olympic fencer and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad tells a personal story of starting to wear the hijab to school and the bullying that she endured because of the way she chose to express her faith. More importantly, she gives voice to a common experience of being ridiculed for being different or perhaps just not understood. Asiya and Faizah's mother–as did Ibtihaj Muhammad's mother as indicated by her author's note–prepared her daughters well for this rite of passage. Though she cannot control what others think or say, she does strengthen their pride in the wearing of the hijab and understanding for those who might attack from ignorance. With Canadian author S. K. Ali as her co-author, Ibtihaj Muhammad tells her story with charity and honesty and eloquence.

Illustrator Hatem Aly, Egyptian-born and New Brunswick-residing, has a repertoire that ranges from pen-and-ink editorial illustrations to comics but here his digitally-rendered art, textured with ink washes and pencil on watercolour paper, adds a brightness to a child's story. The bullies are depicted as shadows, their faces never seen, appropriate for senseless oppressors. And for Faizah and her family and compassionate classmates? The colours, like that of Asiya's blue hijab, are radiant, filled with warmth and encouragement.

From The Proudest Blue, written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali, illus. by Hatem Aly

The Proudest Blue, like the hijab of Ibtihaj Muhammad, S. K. Ali and Hatem Aly's story, has depth and consciousness of what it means to be Muslim, what it means to wear the hijab and what it means to be proud of faith and self-expression.

Ping

Written and illustrated by Ani Castillo

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

978-0-316-42464-6

48 pp.

Ages 4-8

September, 2019 

Ping is both subtly complex and powerfully simple in its message about communication and connecting with others. It says loads about how to do it, when to do it, and the need to accept how others return that communication. Like the game of ping-pong–the premise upon which the story is based–there is a give and take between communicants that must be respected to ensure successful connections are made.

My friend,

in this life...

...we can only PING.

The PONG belongs to the other.

From Ping by Ani Castillo

Ani Castillo highlights the multitude of ways you can Ping (note that the verb "Ping" is always capitalized). It can include using your voice or painting or using a computer. It can be with small or large gestures, and you can Ping to one or many. But it's the approaches to Pinging that are most impressive. With many adverbs, Ani Castillo recommends Pinging freely, generously, wisely, kindly, persistently, hopefully, and mindfully. However, even with those intentions, you must still wait for the Pong and accept it as given. It may come as expected or not but it will be the basis for new connections regardless.

From Ping by Ani Castillo

Best known for her cartooning, Ani Castillo's illustrations of amorphous characters in Ping will be relatable to all children. They're cute but unrecognizable and could be any person reading this book. But, with Ping, her debut picture book, Ani Castillo has found a voice that communicates with heart as well as art. She helps us see the importance of self-expression but always with thoughtful intent and consideration for the recipients of that expression. In a world of social media and the constant airing of opinions, we need to follow the sage advice that Pinging requires wisdom and responsibility. Regardless of the reciprocating Pong, we must Ping with humanity.  Shouldn't this always be the way with communication?

From Ping by Ani Castillo

Ping is about thoughtful discussion and that is exactly what it will inspire: conversations about how we communicate and how we should. It is learning and teaching in one, all with tenderness and understanding for our need to connect with others and how to do it effectively and with compassion.