The Magical Moroccan Rug

By Naveed Mir and Anisa Mohammad

• Adventure and magic/fantasy element 
• Time travelling tale
• Glossary - Arabic words
• Quiz at the end of book (interactive element) 
• Black and white illustrations within
• This is the first time project for both author and illustrator with Kube Publishing

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Apr 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9780860379720

Naveed Mir

The Magical Moroccan Rug is Naveed's first book with Kube Publishing.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Oh no! shouted Yusuf. Look at the time! I promised my mum I wouldn’t be late.

Hang on, said Jack, you forgot your–, but it was too late. Yusuf had already jumped down from the tree and was halfway down the path which led out of Oakwell Hall.

Jumper, sighed Jack to himself, tying it around his waist so he wouldn’t forget to take it with him.

Yusuf and Jack had been best friends for as long as they could remember. They first met at nursery and had been inseparable ever since. They each lived on one end of Country Lane and even though they did not attend the same school, they saw each other as often as they could. They always met on a Thursday evening at Scouts and at least once more during the week. Since last year it had become a Saturday tradition to meet at Oakwell Hall. Both their gardens backed out onto the country park behind the Elizabethan manor house and they loved spending time there. It was the perfect place for two children who loved the outdoors. They spent their time climbing trees, building dens, making dams in the shallow stream and generally getting as grubby as they could.

This particular Saturday, the second Saturday in September to be precise, was an eagerly anticipated day for Yusuf and his family. It was the day his grandpa was due to arrive from Morocco. Grandpa had always wanted to visit England and for years their weekly conversations over the phone usually ended with ‘insha’Allah, I will visit.’ But due to ill health and family commitments he was never able to come. ‘Insha’Allah, I will visit’ became something he always said before he hung up. It was said so often that when Grandpa phoned them in June to inform them that he would actually be arriving on the second Saturday in September, everyone fell silent for a few seconds, shocked that the visit Grandpa had been promising was now just around the corner!

Since that phone call, Yusuf’s house had been filled with excitement. To say they were all looking forward to the visit was an understatement. Yusuf’s parents had cleaned and re-cleaned the house a number of times and they still didn’t feel it was perfect enough for their special guest. They steamed the carpets, washed the curtains and cleaned the windows until the house shone. His dad finally got round to completing all the odd jobs he’d been putting off. He even fixed the extractor fan in the kitchen, something his mum had been reminding him about on what seemed like a weekly basis. This made Yusuf smile. He didn’t think Grandpa would notice the extractor fan, but it was nice that his father wanted everything to be perfect.

Yusuf enjoyed helping his parents prepare their home for Grandpa and loved seeing them so happy. His parents left Morocco many years ago, soon after they had married. They had a dream of studying at a university abroad and arrived in England almost penniless. Their families had tried their hardest to convince them to stay in Morocco. ‘Why do you want to leave? You have everything here,’ they would say, ‘Both of you can study here, we will support you.’ They were all against the move to England – all except for Yusuf’s grandpa. "Let them go! They are young and they have dreams. Do you not remember having dreams at their age?"

Everyone disapproved. As the eldest and most respected member of the family, he should be trying to convince his son otherwise, they thought. But he continued to support them while they studied in England and would send them money regularly.

Yusuf often felt sad for his parents on occasions such as Eid when other people got together and visited their relatives. It was only the three of them in England, and when they would phone Morocco on Eid morning after returning from the mosque, the longing in his parents’ voices would bring a lump to Yusuf’s throat. His parents had always planned to visit home regularly but life and more specfically, lack of finances, got in the way. They managed to save up enough money once when Yusuf was two years old but that had been their only trip home. Sometimes Yusuf sat and thought about how difficult it must have been for them not to have seen their families for eight years. After their first and only visit, they had struggled to save money with both of them completing their degrees and then starting their teaching jobs. Money had been tight and since buying their house, a holiday was out of the question.