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“Peris renders both boys in black-and-white against a colorful background, quietly emphasizing their similarities and evoking the constraints of their communities. The story’s gentle emphasis on the power of play to bridge difference is relatable and persuasive.”

—Publishers Weekly

“…An alter­na­tive fable, one where the joy of friend­ship and the com­fort­ing dreams of their inte­ri­or lives allow Daniel and Ismail to ignore the hatred which threat­ens them…. The book’s end­ing is reas­sur­ing, although not with­out a touch of sad­ness. Jew­ish and Pales­tin­ian chil­dren play togeth­er, both on the field and in their dreams of the future. There is no men­tion of the adults who react­ed with hor­ror at the spon­ta­neous com­pan­ion­ship of two boys with a soc­cer ball on a beau­ti­ful day. Daniel and Ismail is high­ly rec­om­mend­ed for chil­dren and will also be of inter­est to adults who are hope­ful about the future.”

—Jewish Book Council

“This book will not end the heartbreaking conflict in the Middle East, but it can help children see past the news headlines and their parents’ rhetoric and hopefully bring new ideas for respecting the humanity of those involved.”

—Youth Services Book Review

Daniel and Ismail

Written by Juan Pablo Iglesias Yacher, Ilan Stavans (Translator - English), Eliezer Nowodworski (Translator - Hebrew), Frieda Press-Danieli (Translator - Hebrew), and Randa Sayegh (Translator - Arabic)
Illustrated by Alex Peris
Published by Yonder

A one-of-a-kind, uplifting picture book about an Israeli boy and a Palestinian boy who bond on the soccer field—translated into English, Hebrew, and Arabic.

Daniel and Ismail, one Israeli and the other Palestinian, don’t know each other yet, but they have more in common than they know. They live in the same city and have the same birthday, and this year they get the same presents: a traditional scarf—for Daniel a tallit and for Ismail a keffiyeh—and a soccer ball. Taking their gifts out for a spin, they meet by chance on a soccer field, and they soon begin to play together and show off the tricks they can do.

They get so absorbed in the fun that they lose track of time and mix up their gifts: Daniel picks up Ismail’s keffiyeh and Ismail takes Daniel’s tallit. When they get home and discover their mistake, their parents are shocked and angry, asking the boys if they realize who wears those things. That night, Daniel and Ismail have nightmares about what they have seen on the news and heard from adults about the other group. But the next day, they find each other in the park and get back to what really matters: having fun and playing the game they both love.

Daniel and Ismail is a remarkable multilingual picture book that confronts the very adult conflicts that kids around the world face, and shows us that different cultures, religions, societies, and languages can all share the same page.

Primary ISBN: 9781632061560
Publication Date: August 2019
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Publication Status: Hardcover out of print
Picture Book, Age 03 or older

Community Represented: ,

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Setting: Unspecified

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation

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