Purchase to Support Our Program

“This story will boost immigrant children’s morale and teach others to be more open-minded.” –School Library Journal

The Arabic Quilt

Written by Aya Khalil
Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan
Published by Tilbury House Publishers

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.

Primary ISBN: 9780884487548
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook
Picture Book, Age 06 or older

Community Represented: ,

Themes: , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States

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

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.

Author Interview

https://youtu.be/UIPRBLXSlec