Under a Crescent Moon by Julia Juwairiah Simpson-Urr...

Simpson-Urrutia combines historical research from the biographies of ibn Khallikan with legend to tell the story of how King Roderick of Spain was defeated by a former slave who was made commander of the Muslim army by his former master, Musa ibn Nusair. Burning Boats: The Birth of Muslim Spain by Julia Juwairiah Simpson-Urrutia is a fascinating illustrated storybook about the conquest of Spain by the Muslim army in the year 711 CE. The most efficient way to combat hate is to destroy ignorance and learn to understand that which is different or misunderstood. As an artist and educator, I highly recommend the work as contributing a fresh approach to learning about this period of history. In our current era where world conflicts create fear and mistrust, Simpson offers us a history lesson free of rhetoric and full of exciting imagery. As an addition to an educational curriculum, The Burning Boats offers an intriguing interpretation of a moment in history that will capture the imaginations of students and open their minds to understanding different cultures. Her clear prose conveys action, while piquing the reader’s curiosity about the social/historical aspects of the time period. Simpson presents facts with a theatrical flair and fanciful illustrations rendered beautifully in a style combining elements of medieval art and contemporary form and color. Juwairiah Simpson’s story of the conquest of Visigoth-ruled Spain by the followers of Islam is at once an engaging historical account, and a rip-roaring adventure tale, sure to appeal to young readers. Julia's literary works include The Red Sea Bride (aka Sylvia Fowler)and Burning Boats: The Birth of Muslim Spain.

She has won a few literary awards, including first place for children's fiction in the Seven Hills Writers’ Contest of the Tallahassee Writers’ Association. Her stories “The Outing” and “Up in Smoke” were broadcast over the BBC World Service and can be found in Under a Crescent Moon: Stories of Arabia, on Amazon and Nook.

She wrote for the Saudi Gazette, Arab News, and Riyadh Daily newspapers as well as the English Service of the Saudi Broadcasting System.

There the sea was as warm as the water in a bathtub and the fish could fly. Born and raised in California, Julia Simpson-Urrutia studied French in Switzerland and later, at the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies in California, where she met her future husband, a young Saudi.Īfter earning a Master’s degree at SDSU and studies in Arabic and Spanish, she accompanied her husband to Jeddah, a 5,000 year old city by the Red Sea.

Under a Crescent Moon by Julia Juwairiah Simpson-Urr...