17 children’s books for Arab-American Heritage Month
April is Arab-American Heritage Month, so it’s the perfect time for your family or learners to read books starring Arab-American characters. (Though I’ll add the disclaimer I always do about heritage months. This is a time to amplify the learning we should be doing all year round!)
First, it’s important to clarify which groups of people are considered Arab-American. As the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee explains, Arabs are united by Arabic language, culture, and history, rather than by race or religion.
While most Arabs are Muslim, most Muslims are not Arab. (For example, Pakistan is a majority Muslim country, but it is not an Arab country. Yet, I still found many children’s book lists online for Arab-American Heritage Month that heavily featured books about Pakistani-Americans.) There are also significant numbers of Arab Jews and Christians. There are 22 Arab countries, though the majority of Arab-Americans are from Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.
Now that that’s clarified, let’s dive into these wonderful books!
READ MORE https://www.rebekahgienapp.com/arab-american-books/#prettyPhoto
[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]
Baba, What Does My Name Mean? A Journey to Palestine by Rifk Ebeid. Illustrated by Lamaa Jawhari. 
Cover of Baba, What Does My Name Mean? A Palestinian girl with dark brown hair holds a key, tree, mosque, and other symbols of Palestine above her head.
Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores and my business!)
When classmates ask Saamidah what her name means, she only knows that it’s an Arabic name. When she asks her father to tell her more about it, he tells her that her name means patient and persistent. Her parents chose this name because her Palestinian people must have these qualities as they fight for their rights.
With a special key and a dove of peace to guide her, Saamidah is whisked off to Palestine, where she visits many special places, from the Qubbet Al-Sakhra mosque and the Church of the Nativity, to her Papa’s childhood home from which he was dispossessed. There are many ancient sites, delicious foods, and carefully created items to learn about. Through all her journey, Saamidah is encouraged to believe that one day the Palestinian people will be free. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Palestinian-American author.)
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