Kanzi's family has moved from Egypt to America, and on her first day in a new school, what she wants more than anything is to fit in. Maybe that's why she forgets to take the kofta sandwich her mother has made for her lunch, but that backfires when Mama shows up at school with the sandwich. Mama wears a hijab and calls her daughter Habibti (dear one). When she leaves, the teasing starts.
That night, Kanzi wraps herself in the beautiful Arabic quilt her teita (grandma) in Cairo gave her and writes a poem in Arabic about the quilt. Next day her teacher sees the poem and gets the entire class excited about creating a "quilt" (a paper collage) of student names in Arabic. In the end, Kanzi's most treasured reminder of her old home provides a pathway for acceptance in her new one.
This authentic story with beautiful illustrations includes a glossary of Arabic words and a presentation of Arabic letters with their phonetic English equivalents.
full color
Aya Khalil is a freelance journalist and educator. She holds a master's degree in Education with a focus in Teaching English as a Second Language. THE ARABIC QUILT is based on true events growing up, when she moved to the US from EGYPT at the age of one. Her articles have been published in The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The Post & Courier, Toledo Area Parent, and more. She's been featured in Yahoo!, Teen Vogue, Verona and more.
"This beautifully illustrated book comes at a time when it's really important to learn about immigrants, their cultures, and how to be accepting. The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story is about Kanzi, a little girl who wraps herself in the quilt her teita (grandma) gave her. After Kanzi writes a poem about said quilt, her teacher at school sees it and wants to create a paper collage quilt featuring the student's names in Arabic. "In the end, Kanzi's most treasured reminder of her old home provides a pathway for acceptance in her new one," the Goodreads description notes.
And an added bonus to this story? There's a glossary of Arabic words and a "presentation of Arabic letters with their phonetic English equivalents," teaching children about another culture while reading a fun story. You can grab this story about acceptance in Feb. 2020.""
— Abi Berwager Schreier, Romper
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