A Different Kind of Hero

A Different Kind of Hero is an Islamic picture book for children aged 4 to 9 about a boy who discovers, on Hero Day at school, that real heroes can be found in his own family.

The boy is getting ready for Hero Day in a Superman costume when his auntie tells him that her favourite hero is not Superman but his mum, who saved her life the year before. The boy looks at his mum and cannot see it: she does not look like a hero. At school, his classmates say heroes have superpowers, can fly and have big muscles. But their teacher explains that real heroes are brave and kind, that they help other people, and that there may even be one in your family.

When the boy says his mum is a hero, a classmate tells him mums cannot be heroes. So his mum and auntie come in to school, and the class hears the story: his auntie's kidneys stopped working, and his mum gave her one of her own. She was a little scared, she says, but she loved her sister, and that made her brave.

Written by Mona Zac and illustrated by Maria Iva, the book explains organ donation in simple words. It ends with a verse of the Qur'an: whoever saves one life, it is as if they have saved all of humankind.

Hero Day

There was going to be a Hero Day at school, and a little boy was very excited. His mum and his auntie took him to the fancy dress shop, and he chose a Superman costume. "Great choice," said his auntie, ruffling his hair.

The boy loved his auntie very much. She was his mum's younger sister, and the two of them did everything together. They cooked delicious food for him, played games until late at night and never stopped talking to each other.

He asked his auntie whether Superman was her favourite hero too. She thought for a moment. "No, not Superman," she said. "Your mum is my favourite hero, because she saved my life when I was sick last year."

The boy was surprised. He knew what his mum had done, but did that make her a hero? He looked over at her, squinted his eyes and tilted his head. She did not look like a hero.

What makes a hero?

The next morning he ran, jumped and posed all the way to school, ready to save people. When his mum left him with his friends, he remembered his auntie's words and squinted at her again. She still did not look like a hero.

At playtime, he and his friends pretended to fly and to save each other from imaginary bad guys. It made him think about how his mum had saved his auntie.

In circle time that afternoon, the teacher asked the class what makes a hero. A girl in pigtails said real heroes have superpowers. Her friend said they can fly. A boy shouted that heroes have big muscles, like his.

"It sounds like you're talking about superheroes," said the teacher. "Real heroes are so much more than superheroes. They are brave and kind, and they help other people. And unlike superheroes, real heroes are all around us. You may even have one in your family."

The boy thought about his mum. She had no superpowers, she could not fly and her muscles were not big. But she was brave and kind, and she helped other people. He put up his hand. "My mum is a real hero," he said.

"She's not," said the girl in pigtails. "Mums can't be heroes."

The boy took a deep breath. "My mum is," he said. "Last year she did something really brave and kind. She saved my auntie's life." His classmates stared at him and asked more questions than he could answer, so the teacher suggested that he bring his mum and auntie in for a visit.

Mum and Auntie come to school

The next day, his mum and auntie sat with him in front of the class, and he told everyone how sick his auntie had been. The doctors had said that her kidneys were not working and that she needed a new one.

"Where do you get a new kidney from?" asked a boy. His auntie explained that most people have two healthy kidneys, and they can give one to someone who needs it. But first the doctors have to do tests, his mum explained, because not every kidney works in every body. The tests showed that his mum's kidney would work in his auntie. So his mum had an operation, and the doctors took out one of her kidneys and put it into his auntie's body.

"Were you scared?" someone asked. His mum smiled. She had been a little scared, she said, but she loved her sister very much, and remembering that she was doing it to help her made her feel braver.

"My sister is my hero," said his auntie. "She was brave and kind and thoughtful, and she saved my life."

The whole class clapped for them. The boy felt happiness spread through him, and he was very proud of them both.

On the way home he looked up at his mum. This time he did not need to squint his eyes or tilt his head. He knew that his mum was a hero, and she even looked a little bit like a superhero too.

The book ends with a verse of the Qur'an: whoever saves the life of one person, it is as if they have saved the life of all humankind.

• Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:32: Whoever saves one life, it is as if he had saved the whole of humankind.