Review Source: Notes from an Islamic School Librarian Book Author: This sweetly illustrated 32-page rhyming book starts off introducing a little girl living in one place and having a home in Palestine that she has never been to, but loves. The book then becomes pretty universal with her and her grandfather talking about what grows, his […]
Habibi
Review Source: Independent Book Author: An educator wrote: While I love Naomi Shihab Nye’s 1997 book Habibi, it may be helpful to add a disclaimer that it uses the ‘Jews and Arabs’ formula. Also, although the storyline begins to explore ways in which the Oslo Accords did not live up to the initially high hopes […]
Eleven Words for Love: A Journey Through Arabic Expressions of Love
Reviewed by Makai Kellogg and Magy Youssef Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Eleven Words for Love: A Journey through Arabic Expressions of Love, by Palestinian-Egyptian author Randa Abdel-Fattah, is summarized on the back cover: A lyrical narrative of a Palestine family in exile explores universal bonds of family, loyalty, and friendship through the […]
Ida in the Middle
Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: Middle school student Ida tries to sit where she is “unnoticeable, like the dust on last year’s history books.” She seeks to avoid stereotypical insults hurled at her for being from a Palestinian immigrant family. The school’s silence aggravates the problem. Ida notes, “Nobody even says the […]
The Story of Hurry
Reviewed by Alison Kysia Book Author: The Story of Hurry, written by Emma Williams and illustrated by Ibrahim Quraishi, is a useful tool for introducing the colonization of Palestine to young children. The captivating mixed media illustrations frame a story of the imaginative use of animals by one compassionate zoo keeper who will do anything […]
A Child’s View of Gaza: Palestinian Children’s Art and the Fight Against Censorship
Reviewed by Katharine Davies Samway Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: A Childs View of Gaza: Palestinian Children’s Art and the Fight Against Censorship is equally compelling for children, older students, and adults. The captioned illustrations were created by Palestinian children who lived through the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in 2008-09. The pictures were drawn as part […]