Hena Khan

Hena Khan
Born	United States of America
Occupation	Novelist, picture book writer
Language	English
Education	George Washington University; MA in International Affairs
Genre	picture books, middle grade fiction
Years active	2008–present
Notable works	Amina's Voice, Amina's Song
Notable awards	2022 Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature
Children	2
Website
henakhan.com//

Hena Khan ^[1] (born 1973 or 1974) is an American author of children's books. Khan is best known for her middle-grade novel Amina's Voice and its follow-up novel, Amina's Song, which won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature in 2022. ^[2] Amina's Voice was the first book published under Simon & Schuster's Salaam Reads imprint in 2017. ^[3] Khan has authored or co-authored more than twenty picture and middle-grade books. ^[4]

Early life and education

Khan grew up near Rockville, Maryland, as the second of four children born to Pakistani immigrants. ^{[5] [6]} Growing up, she enjoyed checking out books from the library. ^{[6] [7]}

Khan earned an MA in International Affairs from George Washington University. ^[8]

Career

Prior to becoming an author, Khan worked with non-profit health and research organizations as a writer and editor. ^[8]

She has mentioned Beverly Cleary as a writing hero, particularly her Ramona series, and has also cited Louisa May Alcott's Little Women as inspiration for her novel More to the Story. ^[9]

Khan was approached by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to co-author a Curious George book, titled It's Ramadan, Curious George. ^{[10] [11]}

Personal life

Khan lives with her family in Rockville, Maryland, ^[8] and has two sons. ^[12] She is Muslim. ^{[6] [8]}

Works

Novels

• Amina's Voice (Salaam Reads, 2017)
• Power Forward (Salaam Reads, 2018)
• On Point (Salaam Reads, 2018)
• Bounce Back (Salaam Reads, 2018)
• More to the Story (Salaam Reads, 2020)
• Amina's Song (Salaam Reads, 2021)
• The Unicorn Rescue Society: The Secret of the Himalayas, co-authored with Adam Gidwitz, illustrated by Hatem Aly (Penguin Random House, 2021)
• Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun (Salaam Reads, 2022)
• Super You! Power of Flight: A Pick-Your-Path Adventure, co-authored with Andrea Menotti, illustrated by Yancey Labat (Penguin Random House, 2022)
• Zara’s Rules for Finding Hidden Treasure (Salaam Reads, 2022)
• Super You! Power of Invisibility: A Pick-Your-Path Adventure, co-authored with Andrea Menotti, illustrated by Yancey Labat (Penguin Random House, 2023)
• Zara’s Rules for Living Your Best Life (Salaam Reads, 2023)

Picture books

• Night of the Moon, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Chronicle Books, 2008)
• Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini (Chronicle Books, 2012)
• It's Ramadan, Curious George, co-authored with H. A. Rey (Clarion Books, 2016) ^[10]
• Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini (Chronicle Books, 2018)
• Under My Hijab, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel (Lee & Low Books, 2019) ^[13]
• Like the Moon Loves the Sky, illustrated by Saffa Khan (Chronicle Books, 2020)
• One Sun and Countless Stars: A Muslim Book of Numbers, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini (Chronicle Books, 2022)
• Zain’s Super Friday, illustrated by Nez Riaz (Lee & Low Books, 2023)

Awards

• 2022 Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature for Amina's Song ^[2]

References

1. "About Hena" . Retrieved 2024-01-01.
2. "2022 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Winners". Asian Pacific American Librarians Association. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
3. "Salaam Reads Aims to Publish Muslim YA Stories". Teen Vogue. 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
4. "Hena Khan - My Books". Hena Khan. 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
5. Sole, Sarah (2019-02-05). "Dublin Literacy Conference: Author Hena Khan plans conversation on inclusion of all voices". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
6. Quattlebaum, Mary (2017-03-20). "A step toward greater diversity in children's books: Hena Khan's 'Amina's Voice'". The Washington Post.
7. Williams, Ashleigh (2019-10-25). "Hena Khan's More to the Story is a Love Letter to Little Women". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
8. "Hena Khan (she/her)". The Author Village. 2018. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
9. "Interview with Hena Khan, Author of More to the Story!". From the Mixed Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors. 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
10. Hatuqa, Dalia (2016-07-04). "Curious George embraces Ramadan". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
11. Mubtadi, Vina (2016-07-01). "This Ramadan, Curious George Helps Friend to Fast". Voice of America News. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
12. "Author Spotlight: Interview with Hena Khan". From the Mixed Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
13. Farooq, Umar (2019-03-03). "Muslim author aims to lift veil on misjudged concept". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2024-01-01.