Children's Literature: Arab/Arab-American

Having to take her younger sister along the first time she is invited to a birthday party spoils Rubina's fun, and later when that sister is asked to a party and baby sister wants to come, Rubina must decide whether to help.

In simple rhyming text a young Muslim girl guides the reader through the traditions and shapes of Islam.

In Mauritania, West Africa, an Arab girl who wants to wear a malafa, the veiled dress worn by her mother and older sister, learns that the garment represents beauty, mystery, tradition, belonging, and faith.

The Muslim world has often been a bridge between East and West, but many of Islam's crucial innovations are hidden within the folds of history. In this important book, Bryn Barnard uses short, engaging text and gorgeous full-color artwork to bring Islam's contributions gloriously to life.

From a red prayer rug to a blue hijab, everyday colors are given special meaning as young readers learn about clothing, food, and other important elements of Islamic culture, with a young Muslim girl as a guide.

An Iraqi version of the Cinderella story in which a kind and beautiful girl who is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsister finds a husband with the help of a magic fish.

Jerusalem–ancient home to Jews, Christians, and Muslims–is blanketed by a sky like no other. According to legend, the Jerusalem sky held off the rains for seven years while King Solomon built his temple. In the Jerusalem sky, the Bible tells us, a rising star announced the birth of Jesus. Through that same wondrous sky, Islamic belief holds, Muhammad climbed to heaven. In our own times, the Jerusalem sky fills with the sounds of worshippers praying for peace in the synagogues, churches, and mosques below. And each year new voices rise up to the Jerusalem sky, where so many miracles have been witnessed.

Basant is here, with feasts and parties to celebrate the arrival of spring. But what Malik is looking forward to most is doing battle from his rooftop with Falcon, the special kite he has built for speed. Today is Malik's chance to be the best kite fighter, the king of Basant.
This lively, contemporary story introduces readers to a centuries-old festival and the traditional sport of kite fighting, and to a spirited, determined young boy who masters the sport while finding his own way to face and overcome life's challenges.

Now that she is ten, Lailah is delighted that she can fast during the month of Ramadan like her family and her friends in Abu Dhabi, but finding a way to explain to her teacher and classmates in Atlanta is a challenge until she gets some good advice from the librarian, Mrs. Carman.

Alia Muhammad Baker is a librarian in Basra, Iraq. For fourteen years, her library has been a meeting place for those who love books. Until now. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the library--along with the thirty thousand books within it--will be destroyed forever.

In Sydney, Australia, and in Morocco, two boys and their families have a day of shopping. Readers are invited to compare illustrations in two wordless stories that are intended to be read one from left to right and the other from right to left.

Introduces Muhammad and the basic tenets of the Islamic faith.

A board book of children's faces making different expressions such as silly, sleepy, and frowning , with accompanying text in Arabic and English.

While volunteering with her mother at a community center, a seven-year-old girl befriends Suhana, also seven, whose cerebral palsy makes it difficult for her to communicate or control her movements. Includes facts about cerebral palsy.

When Bilal and his sister transfer to a school where they are the only Muslims, they must learn how to fit in while staying true to their beliefs and heritage.

Yasmeen has a wonderful time celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan with her family and friends.

A young girl describes a visit to see her grandmother in a Palestinian village on the West Bank.

Enter the imaginary world of a little girl playing with her mother's hijaab. With a swirl of the hijaab, she is at once a brave warrior queen, an adventurous nomad in the desert, a beautiful bride, or inside a Bedouin tent.

An introduction to the journeys of the little-known 14th century Muslim figure, Ibn Battuta. He traveled for 29 years from Morocco to China, from the steppes of Russia to the shores of Tanzania, 75,000 miles in all.

As a young girl observes that each of six women in her life wears her hijab and hair in a different way, she considers how to express her own style one day.

Ramadan is one of the most special months of the Islamic year, when Muslims pray, fast, and help those in need. Whitman's lyrical story, with luminous illustrations by Sue Williams, serves as an ideal introduction to Ramadan.

A biography of architect Zaha Hadid, who grew up in Baghdad and went on to design buildings all over the world. She became one of the most irreverent, controversial, and celebrated architects in the world.