Natalie Mohammed

Picture books & illustration

Natalie Mohammed

Picture book author & illustrator

Welcome to Hurufland — an island where every letter of the Arabic alphabet is a character with a story. And every single picture in it was drawn by hand.

See the books All drawn by hand

Drawn by hand

I drew every single picture in this book.

Not stock art. Not a design tool. Every letter‑character, every castle brick, every wave, every crumb of the Queen’s salad — drawn by hand, one page at a time, until all twenty‑eight letters of the Arabic alphabet had a face and a personality.

The idea is simple and a bit stubborn: children remember a character far longer than they remember a shape. So each letter became one. Alif stands to attention. Taaw has ridiculously long legs. Meem is a moon who gets hungry. The illustration is the letter, so the shape sticks.

The drawing style takes its cue from the Mr. Men books — bold outlines, flat bright colour, and faces you can read from across a classroom.

28Letters drawn
119Pages
13Adventures
100%By hand
Hand-drawn illustration of a lion resting in dark jungle leaves.
Hand-drawn illustration of the Queen of Hurufland beside a salad shaped like an Arabic letter.
Hand-drawn illustration of two fishermen on a jetty over bright blue water.

The books

Soldier Alif and the Arabic Alphabet

Teach children the Arabic alphabet in a way they will actually remember — through thirteen short adventures, in clear, plain English, with bright illustrations that emulate the shape of each letter.

Cover of Soldier Alif and the Arabic Alphabet.
Picture book

Soldier Alif and the Arabic Alphabet

Thirteen adventures · Ages 6 months to 8 years

Soldier Alif is a straight, tall soldier with a tiny voice — but when a big wave threatens the castle, he has no way to warn the Queen of Hurufland to get to safety. From there the alphabet unfolds: boat brothers, hat pals, snake sisters, a lion with a slide, a moon who smells dinner from the sky.

Written for home, madrassahs and schools, so a child can learn the sound of every letter without ever being told they are doing lessons.

119 pages ISBN 9798865116806 Pronunciation guide included Illustrated by Natalie Mohammed
Cover of the Soldier Alif and the Arabic Alphabet Workbook.
Companion workbook

Soldier Alif and the Arabic Alphabet Workbook

Puzzles, mazes, colouring & tracing

The ideal activity collection for children at the letter‑learning stage of reading Arabic. Puzzles, mazes, colouring pages and tracing practice, all designed to improve letter recognition and writing skills.

Perfect for keeping little hands and minds busy once the stories have done their work — and, of course, illustrated by the same hand.

Activity book Colouring & tracing Pairs with the storybook
  • Soldier Alif
  • The Boat Brothers
  • The Hat Pals
  • Different Dal
  • The Lion and the Slide
  • The Snake Sisters
  • The Pirate Swords
  • Tall Taaw
  • The Fishing Friends
  • The Queen’s Salad
  • The Sneaky King
  • The Hungry Moon
  • Amazed Waw

Visit hurufland.com

“Once upon a time, on the island of Hurufland, there was a big, strong soldier.” Opening line, Soldier Alif

The world

Welcome to Hurufland

An island with a castle, a Queen, a very noisy parrot called Hamza — and twenty‑eight letters who all live there.

Three hand-drawn characters sitting in a wooden boat.
The Boat BrothersBaa, Taa and Thaa, who hold hands and walk along the shore.
A hand-drawn lion roaring on a red slide.
The Lion and the SlideRaa is a slide, and the lion loves how it roars: r‑r‑raa.
A hand-drawn ostrich with very long legs in green scrub.
Tall TaawAn ostrich with long legs and a long neck, in the wild scrub of Hurufland.
A hand-drawn smiling moon in a purple starry sky.
The Hungry MoonMeem shines above the castle — then smells something delicious.
A hand-drawn white swan sitting among bulrushes.
Yaa yawnsA swan who sits on her eggs and y‑y‑yawns.
A hand-drawn apple tree with two snake characters.
The Snake SistersSeen and Sheen, who find a sunny spot and get sleepy.

Out in the world

Where the books actually live

In classrooms, madrassahs, living rooms and on a very large display board.

Natalie Mohammed reading Soldier Alif and the Arabic Alphabet to a room full of children sitting on the floor.
Reading Soldier Alif to a full room — the letters get louder from here.
A school display board titled Say Salaams to Soldier Alif and the Arabic Alphabet, covered in hand-drawn Arabic letter characters.
“Say Salaams to…” — the whole cast, up on the wall.
Natalie Mohammed holding a copy of Soldier Alif and the Arabic Alphabet at a book stall.

About

Hello, I’m Natalie

An English and Islamic Studies teacher living in Solihull, UK — and the writer, illustrator and communications manager behind Hurufland.

I have spent twenty years working with children of all ages, which is a very good way to find out what actually holds a child’s attention. Not worksheets. Characters. Stories. A moon with a face.

So I drew them. All of them. My illustrations take their inspiration from Robert Hargreaves’ Mr. Men series — simple, bold and joyful — and they are shaped to match the Arabic letters themselves, so a child learns the letterform and the character at the same time.

I also write middle grade and young adult adventure. That lives on the other side of this site.

Middle Grade & YA books

Contact

Say salaams

For anything to do with the Hurufland books — orders, school and madrassah visits, bulk copies, or a question about the alphabet — email me directly.

Hurufland enquiries

The address is behind a quick check so the robots stay out. Answer it and Hamza will hand it over.

Looking for the novels?

Natalie also writes middle grade and young adult adventure — including Flight of the Moth-Eagles, a MG/YA sci-fi and fantasy crossover.

Go to the main author page