Saadia Faruqi - Yasmin the Superhero

To Mariam for inspiring me, and Mubashir for helping me find the right wordsS.F.

To my sister, Eman, and her amazing girls, Jana and KenziH.A.

Yasmin loved reading with . Her favorite stories were about superheroes.

Baba closed the book.

I wish I were a superhero, Yasmin said.

What do you like about superheroes? Baba asked.

Yasmin thought. Well, they save people, she said.

From what? asked Mama.

From evil villains, of course! Yasmin said.

Mama laughed. Enough reading, she said. The weather is perfect. Why dont you go outside and play?

Yasmin skipped to room. Im Super Yasmin! she announced. Im going outside to defeat evil villains!

That sounds like important work, Nani said. But every superhero needs a costume.

Nani took her and draped it over Yasmins shoulders. Here is your cape.

Nana brought out his old sleep mask. He cut two holes for Yasmins eyes.

Now you look just like a superhero, Nana said.

Thanks! Yasmin waved. Im off to save the world!

Yasmin went outside. Lots of children were playing. Some rode bikes. Some kicked a soccer ball.

Yasmin searched everywhere. She didnt see any evil villains. What was the point of being a superhero if there were no villains to defeat?

Hello, Yasmin! It was Emmas mom. She was bringing in groceries from her car. Oops! A bag fell and groceries rolled down the street.

Yasmin ran and caught them all. Here you go, Mrs. Winters, she said.

Oh, you saved the day, Yasmin! Mrs. Winters said. Thank you so much.

Yasmin continued her search for villains. Maybe one was hiding behind this tree! Nope.

Hey, Yasmin, Ali called from his front porch. This math problem is really hard. Can you help me?

Yasmin figured out the answer in a jiffy. Four hundred and seventy-five, she told him.

Youre so good at math, Yasmin, Ali said. Thanks a million!

Yasmin waved and kept walking. She needed to find a villain.

At the end of the street, a little girl was crying. Her ball was stuck on a roof. Yasmin looked around. A big stick lay on the ground.

Dont worry, she told the little girl. This will do the trick.

The girl was happy to get her ball back. Thank you! Thank you! She jumped up and down.

Youre welcome, said Yasmin.

Where were all the villains? she wondered.

Yasmin went back home, disappointed. Baba was waiting for her with a glass of cool .

Super Yasmin is back! Baba said.

Im not a superhero, Yasmin mumbled. I didnt find a single evil villain to defeat. She took a sip of her lassi and sighed.

Baba hugged her close. I saw that you helped many people on our street today, he said. Thats what real superheroes do!

They do? asked Yasmin.

Of course! Evil villains are only in story books, Baba said. In real life, superheroes are the ones who go out of their way to be kind and helpful.

Yasmin gulped down her lassi. Youre right. I did help! she exclaimed. I guess I really am Super Yasmin!

Baba laughed. Come inside now, he said. Even superheroes have to do their homework.

• Superheroes have special powers or abilitiesand so do people! What do you think Yasmins super powers are? What are your super powers?
• Make up a superhero of your own. Draw a picture and give him or her a name. What special skills does your superhero have? Is there a particular problem your superhero must solve?
• Think about someone you admire, someone who is super! What do you admire about this person? What special skill do they have that makes them a superhero?

Yasmins family speaks both English and Urdu. Urdu is a language from Pakistan. Maybe you already know some Urdu words!

(BAH-bah) father (doo-PAH-tah) a shawl or scarf jaan (jahn) life; a sweet nickname for a loved one kameez (kuh-MEEZ) a long tunic or shirt (LAH-see) a yogurt drink (NAH-nah) grandfather on mothers side (NAH-nee) grandmother on mothers side salaam (sah-LAHM) hello shalwar (SHAL-wahr) loose pants shukriya (shuh-KREE-yuh) thank you

Yasmin and her family are proud of their Pakistani culture. Yasmin loves to share facts about Pakistan!

Pakistan is on the continent of Asia, with India on one side and Afghanistan on the other.