Middle East

Nabeel’s New Pants: An Eid Tale

Ramadan has come to an end. the fast is over, and tomorrow the celebration of Eid will begin. Nabeel decides to buy each of his family members something special to wear for the holiday. But while he’s choosing, the shopkeeper persuades him also to buy a gift for himself–a pair of new pants that are too long! Nabeel asks his wife to help hem them, but she’s too busy cooking biryana. He asks his mother and his daughter, too, but no one has the time; everyone is too busy preparing for the festivities.

The Hungry Coat

After being forced to change to a fancy new coat to attend a party, Nasrettin Hoca tries to feed his dinner to the coat, reasoning that it was the coat that was the invited guest.

Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle

Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. He was the leader of a pack of wild dogs living off the land and barely surviving. But Nubs’s life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis. The two formed a fast friendship, made stronger by Dennis’s willingness to share his meals, offer a warm place to sleep, and give Nubs the kind of care and attention he had never received before. Nubs became part of Dennis’s human “pack” until duty required the Marines to relocate a full 70 miles away–without him. Nubs had no way of knowing that Marines were not allowed to have pets.

 

Blessed Are You

Blessed Are You is a collection of thirteen traditional Hebrew prayers ideal for children: prayers of thanksgiving and wonder, prayers for peace and comfort, prayers for peace and comfort, prayers for getting up in the morning and going to bed at night.

Passing By

Yael peeks out from her balcony and sees everything that’s happening in the street below, from the cat in the garden next door to a big red tractor chugging down the road; finally, she sees the best thing–her dad on his way home!

Apricots Tomorrow

To understand a people, acquaint yourself with their proverbs’ runs an Arab adage, and here are the books that do just that. The popular Apricots Tomorrow, a selection of sayings from the Gulf region, is joined by sister titles The Son of a Duck is a Floater and Unload your own Donkey which draws on sayings from the Maghreb and Levant. Paralleling age-old Arabic sayings with English equivalents, the proverbs highlight the uncanny similarity of inherited wisdom in both East and West.

This book has been featured in our Middle East and South Asia Arabic Language and Culture Kit.