Toma and Malek, two thirteen-year-old Syrian children living in Beirut, struggle to provide for their families in a country that can be hostile against refugees like them, but they maintain hope that there is a way out of their seemingly impossible situation.
Middle East
Sugar Comes From Arabic: A Beginner’s Guide to Arabic Letters and Words
This book presents clear directions for learning and writing Arabic letters, in large, bright red shapes with step-by-step instruction on how to draw each one. The Arabic letters are introduced in the order of the English alphabet, the script goes from right to left, and illustrations show how to connect the letters in a word. In addition, there are colorful illustrations and stories about products that have origins in the Arab World.
Part of the Middle East and South Asia/Arabic Language and Culture Kit
Lion, King, and Coin
Laos enjoys his life in ancient Turkey. His father and grandfather are blacksmiths, famous for melting gold into beautiful objects. Laos helps by working in his grandfather’s market stall, bartering their gold for food and livestock. But exchanging such different goods and quantities is complicated. What they need is something to represent the value of their goods, something durable and lightweight. After presenting this idea to the king, he comes to Laos’s family with a very important task: to create something that will make the market accessible to everyone. A story about the invention of currency in ancient Turkey around 600 BCE.
Part of the Middle East and South Asia/Arabic Language and Culture Kit
Hodhod’s Arabic Alphabet
Hodhod’s Arabic Alphabet is a fun and colorful book to teach Arabic ABCs as well as 28 animals to children. In this book you will find: 58 pages of artwork, colorful pages with the letters of the Arabic alphabet, and 28 unique animals that are colorful and cute. This book is a companion to the iOS application Hood’s Arabic Alphabet.
Part of the Middle East and South Asia/Arabic Language and Culture Kit
IQRA’ Arabic Reader Textbook Level 1
This book is designed as a beginning program for teaching Arabic as a second language. Included are lessons dealing with basic conversational Arabic, reading, vocabulary, linguistic structures, spelling, and diction. Dual-language: English and Arabic. There are several books in this series.
Part of the Middle East and South Asia/Arabic Language and Culture Kit
Genius of Islam: How Muslims Made the Modern World
The Muslim world has often been a bridge between East and West, but many of Islam’s crucial innovations are hidden within the folds of history.
Part of the Middle East and South Asia/Arabic Language and Culture Kit
B is for Bedu: An Illustrated Alphabet Book
The Bedu way of life in Arabia has existed for thousands of years, yet, as these remarkable nomadic people have disappeared to the cities, so has our knowledge and understanding of them. In B is for Bedu, fascinating photographs that reveal an almost forgotten heritage support the letters of the alphabet. Constantly moving to find grazing for their animals, tending their flocks in the vast, empty land, and weaving beautiful patterns for their houses of hair, the wonder of the Bedu is that they managed to survive in the harsh desert environment.
Part of the Middle East and South Asia/Arabic Language and Culture Kit
Usha And The Stolen Sun
“Usha lives in a town where the sun hasn’t shone for as long as anyone can remember. Only her grandfather remembers its brilliance, and tells Usha stories about the time before other people took the sun away, building a wall to keep it all to themselves. So Usha decides to do something, and sets off in search of the sun. When at last Usha reaches the wall, she tries to kick it down, climb it, yell her way through it-but the bricks don’t budge. It’s only after hearing voices on the other side of the wall that Usha changes her plan. She sings, shares her grandfather’s stories, and piques the curiosity of the people on the other side until they are inspired to remove the bricks, one by one. Together, they bring the wall down. Inspired by the idea of peaceful protest, this book offers a timely message of cooperation and empathy”–
Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices
Once Upon an Eid is a collection of short stories that showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year: Eid! Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it’s waking up to the sound of frying samosas or the comfort of bean pie, maybe it’s the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it’s the gift giving and holiday parties to come that day. Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy. The anthology will also include a poem, graphic-novel chapter, and spot illustrations.
The Cat Man Of Aleppo
The courageous and true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, who in the midst of the Syrian Civil War offered safe haven to Aleppo’s abandoned cats. Aleppo’s city center no longer echoes with the rich, exciting sounds of copper-pot pounding and traditional sword sharpening. His neighborhood is empty–except for the many cats left behind. Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay–he can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe.
The Cat Man of Aleppo is a WOW Recommends: Book of the Month for May 2021.