Pub Date: February 18, 2020
Dewey: E
LCCN: 2019954510
Lexile Code: 0710
Features: Glossary, Illustrated, Price on Product
Target Age Group: 04 to 08
Physical Info: 0.50" H x 10.20" L x 9.30" W ( 1.10 lbs) 36 pages
Description: 2021 ARAB AMERICAN CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD WINNER
Children's Africana Book Award (CABA) 2021 Honor Book
NCSS 2021 Notable Social Studies Book
Brief description:
Aya Khalil is an award-winning author of picture books and board books. Aya holds a master's degree in education, whose articles have been published in The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor and Motherly. Aya and her books have been featured in Teen Vogue, Oprah Daily, The Washington Post and more. She was named one of Arab America's Foundation's 40 under 40 in 2021.
Review Quotes: Is it possible that a kid's book can make a grown person cry? Yes, most definitely, because I did while reading Aya Khalil's debut picture book The Arabic Quilt- An Immigrant Story. The term "children's book" is misleading. They should generally just be called books, because it's stories like these that deserve a larger audience than only the market it's being targeted to.
The Arabic Quilt is an endearing story of little Kanzi's first day of 3rd grade in the U.S. She recently immigrated with her family from Egypt and doesn't want any extra attention on her than is necessary. Whether you are a new immigrant, or several generations removed, this story will especially be felt by families where the parents: speak a different language, dress in traditional clothes or send ethnic food for lunch. Or, like me, all of the above. Hence, the waterworks.
Even though my kids are not immigrants to the U.S., and neither am I, this scene has played out before with my own children at their school. Once, after seeing me dressed in hijab, my daughter got asked, "Why does your mom wear that?" "Does she have hair?" It is so hard for children to just want to belong and find their place, without their classmates making it harder.--Isra "Muslims in Kid Lit" (2/21/2020 12:00:00 AM)