Interview with Author, Sherry Muhammad

In my interview with author, Sherry Muhammad, she shared with me the story behind her children's book Brown Round Bread Sandwich.

Nadine Muhammad: Please, would you tell our readers about yourself?

Sherry Muhammad: I am a wife, mother, educator, mentor, community volunteer, licensed cosmetologist, baker and author! For years I struggled with having multiple interests and abilities, but by the Grace of Allah, I am finally at a place in my life where I’m good with all that I love and am able to do.

Nadine Muhammad: What is your motivation for writing your book?

Sherry Muhammad: I wrote the book when I was struggling as a single mom, who had relocated from New York City to Norfolk Virginia. I was working as an English teacher, and my son was in the first grade. He was so homesick, missed our family back in New York, and was being teased at school because I would pack his lunch, and the children thought his snacks were strange. I, too, would be questioned about my lunch. So, I combined our experiences, and Brown Round Bread Sandwich was born. 

Nadine Muhammad: Would you  tell us what your book is about?

Sherry Muhammad: Brown Round Bread Sandwich is about a 4th grade student who gets bullied for bringing a wheat pita bread sandwich to school for lunch. He’s at a new school because he and his mom relocated for her to realize her entrepreneurial goals. It’s the story of a boy who overcomes difficulty by focusing on his own goals, but it’s also the story of a mother struggling to find balance between pursuing her own goals and raising her child with the help of her extended family. 

Nadine Muhammad:  What are the benefits that readers will obtain from reading your book, and how will their lives be transformed? 

Sherry Muhammad: There are so many benefits that this book offers because I wrote it with multiple purposes in mind. It can be used in social studies and reading classes, or, it can be used by a school counselor assisting students to adapt to change.  It’s a story workbook, so there are questions after each chapter. The vocabulary is pulled out in the beginning, allowing readers to define the words before they start reading. There are also some exercises at the end of the book to develop other literacy skills. The questions are comprehension and inference based, but they allow readers to discuss personal challenges that they may be having. If parents are reading along with their children, they can discuss these challenges, even if it is uncomfortable for them to hear their children’s point of view. Ultimately, this book is good for all age groups that can articulate how they feel going through a transition in life. Even though it’s written about a fourth grade student, I don’t assign one grade level to the book, because as we know, there are lower grade students who are more advanced, and there are upper grade readers who are below grade level. This book is great as a remediation tool. 

To build your children's home library with Sherry Muhammad's book, Brown Round Bread Sandwich. please use the following link below: 

https://nationsproducts.com/products/brown-round-bread-sandwich?_pos=3&_psq=brown&_ss=e&_v=1.0