In April we celebrate Arab American Heritage Month by reading and sharing stories by Arab American authors and illustrators. Celebrate in your school or library by uplifting these voices in April and all year round! Find more resources on the Arab America Foundation and Smithsonian websites.
Three Summers by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan
An epic middle-grade memoir about sisterhood and coming-of-age in the three years leading up to the Bosnian Genocide.
Three Summers is the story of five young cousins who grow closer than sisters as ethnic tensions escalate over three summers in 1980s Bosnia. They navigate the joys and pitfalls of adolescence on their family’s little island in the middle of the Una River. When finally confronted with the harsh truths of the adult world around them, their bond gives them the resilience to discover and hold fast to their true selves.
Written with incredible warmth and tenderness, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess takes readers on a journey that will break their hearts and put them back together again.
Don’t Be Scared by Saadia Faruqi: illustrated by Shadia Amin
Riz is determined to prove to his dad that movies matter and ghosts are real, but he and his friends might be in over their head when they investigate the local creepy mansion. Join for the spooky adventure full of family drama, folklore from different cultures, and new-found friendships from acclaimed author Saadia Faruqi and artist Shadia Amin!
Riz Choudhry lives for two things: movies and anything spooky. His dad? Not so much. While Riz dreams of filmmaking and jump scares, his father dreams of Riz going to med school or law school—and neither one includes ghosts.
But the film club is Riz’s safe haven, a place where other supernatural-obsessed first-gen kids swap scary stories from their cultures. So, when the group decides to film a documentary about the creepy old mansion in town, Riz is all in. But there’s a problem. His dad wants Riz to quit the club. AND the building is about to be demolished. Now Riz and his friends must use the power of filmmaking to save the mansion…before it vanishes forever.
Packed with shivers, laughter, and heart, Don’t Be Scared celebrates friendship, heritage, and daring to fight for what matters—even if it means disagreeing with your family.
Witches and Wizards by Dr. Angela Puca; illustrated by Cinthya Álvarez
An illustrated guide to the history and mythology of witchcraft and sorcery from expert Dr. Angela Puca.
A mystical guide to the history and mythology of witches and wizards from around the world by expert Dr. Angela Puca, perfect for fans of Harry Potter!
For centuries, people have told stories about witches and wizards. But where do these tales come from? Did these people really have magical powers? Witchcraft expert Dr. Angela Puca tackles these mysteries and many more in Witches and Wizards. Enchanting illustrations by Cinthya Álvarez add even more magic to the page.
Blending folklore and history, readers will:
• Discover whether healers really put ingredients such as “toe of frog” in potions
• Learn about famous figures from around the world, such as Merlin, Baba Yaga, and Medea
• Find out why people believed witches flew around on broomsticks
Hooked by the eerie trivia, kids will also learn about the history behind the supernatural world. They’ll meet Indigenous healers, understand what caused the Salem witch trials, and discover why people hid “witch bottles” under their doors.
It’s a spook-tacular introduction to witchcraft for kids who love all things fantasy!
The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga
From the Newbery Honor-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Rover’s Story comes the moving story of a cheetah who forms a friendship with a rescue dog–a bond that will change their lives forever. Perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Rosanne Parry.
Finnegan is a rescue dog with a broken heart.
Chase is an anxious cheetah cub, newly orphaned.
The two animals couldn’t be more different. But one day, they are brought together for the unlikeliest of reasons: Finnegan must help Chase gain the confidence she needs to perform as part of an educational program for children at a zoo.
Finnegan and Chase have each suffered losses and have trouble trusting. Yet somehow, they are just what the other needs. But if Finnegan isn’t able to help Chase overcome her fears, he won’t just be letting Chase down—he could be risking his new home as well.
Inspired by true stories from zoos across the country, award-winning author Jasmine Warga creates a deeply moving tale about how the power of friendship can transcend anything—even species.
Egyptian Lullaby by Zeena Pliska; illustrated by Hatem Aly
A rich, beautifully layered ode to the great city of Cairo, Egypt, its people, and culture.
Every night, my Ametti Fatma sings the sounds of Egypt to me as I fall asleep.
This is the Nile,
that flows through the city.
Swish, swoosh, swish.
This is the boat,
that glides on the Nile,
that flows through the city.
Swish, swoosh, swish.
Each night, a young girl’s Auntie Fatma puts her to bed, singing a lullaby filled with rich imagery of her home in Egypt. As Auntie Fatma sings, we are given a glimpse of modern Cairo, from boats making their way down the Nile to gentle calls to prayer from the mosques to young children joyfully playing soccer in the streets.
Join Zeena Pliska and Hatem Aly on a vibrant journey to Cairo in this gorgeous, layered song.
The Sunflowers: Vincent van Gogh’s Search for Beauty by Zahra Marwan
A nonfiction picture book that explores Vincent van Gogh’s journey of self discovery and community from award-winning author-illustrator Zahra Marwan.
Vincent van Gogh paints what others consider inelegant. But painting those sunflowers bring happiness to his troubled heart.
And it isn’t until he begins traveling that his world opens up to new friends and new ideas that help his heart and art thrive more than he could have ever imagined.
Award-winning author-illustrator Zahra Marwan has depicted a breathtaking passage of Vincent van Gogh’s life in The Sunflowers, filled with dreamy watercolor artwork. And while it is based on van Gogh’s real life, it also expresses how we should do what we love, despite the words of harsh critics. It’s a story about finding friendship, broadening your horizons, and creating a safe and welcoming community.
A Map for Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home by Maysa Odeh
A young Palestinian girl living in diaspora struggles to find her homeland on a map in this gentle and heartfelt picture book.
At school, Falasteen and her classmates are tasked with finding their families’ home countries on a map, but no matter how hard she looks, Falasteen can’t find Palestine.
Can a place exist if it’s not on a map? Confused, Falasteen turns to her family for answers. Her grandfather, grandmother, and Mama encourage her to see their homeland from a different perspective, and each of their stories helps her understand her people’s history and her own place in the world.
Filled with beautiful, inspiring illustrations and thoughtful back matter that outlines key terms and historical moments, this is a story of family, resilience and home always being where the heart is.
You Be Grandpa by Karla Clark; illustrated by Debby Rahmalia
Karla Clark’s You Be series continues with You Be Grandpa, all about a grandpa who is just too tired to do the bedtime routine after a long day of activities and asks his grandson to take over for him.
Grandpa’s too tired to be Grandpa tonight.
Can you be Grandpa, just for the night?
Pick out my pjs and snuggle up close?
Read me the book I love the most?
In this clever, rhyming picture book, a grandpa tells his grandson that after a long day of playing pirates, gardening, skateboarding and more—he’s simply too tired to be Grandpa at bedtime and asks that the grandson take over for him.
An utterly relatable theme told with humor and heart provides a story parents, grandparents, and children will delight in reading together at bedtime.
A Guide to the Dark by Meriam Metoui
You can check out of Room 9, but you can never leave.
The Haunting of Hill House meets Nina LaCour in this paranormal mystery YA about the ghosts we carry with us.
Something is building, simmering just out of reach.
The room is watching. But Mira and Layla don’t know this yet. When the two best friends are stranded on their spring break college tour road trip, they find themselves at the Wildwood Motel, located in the middle of nowhere, Indiana. Mira can’t shake the feeling that there is something wrong and rotten about their room. Inside, she’s haunted by nightmares of her dead brother. When she wakes up, he’s still there.
Layla doesn’t see him. Or notice anything suspicious about Room 9. The place may be a little run down, but it has a certain charm she can’t wait to capture on camera. If Layla is being honest, she’s too preoccupied with confusing feelings for Mira to see much else. But when they learn eight people died in that same room, they realize there must be a connection between the deaths and the unexplainable things that keep happening inside it. They just have to find the connection before Mira becomes the ninth.
Readers won’t be able to put down this tender thriller that includes over thirty interior black and white photos by the author!
Portrait of a Shadow by Meriam Metoui
A missing sister. A mysterious boy. And a painting that holds the truth beneath its peeling edge…
Inez is missing, but missing things can always be found.
Mae knows this as a fact, even though the police investigation has come to a standstill, even though her parents are moving on. But when she goes to clear out her older sister’s studio, she finds a mess of research and a white canvas that seems even older than the ornate frame it is set in. The closer Mae gets to the canvas, the more difficult it is to pull her eyes away from its mottled surface, its heavy layers of white paint, its peeling top corner she is tempted to pull to see what’s beneath. But she doesn’t. Not yet.
Mae decides to trace her sister’s last steps in the hopes of finding answers, certain that Inez’s disappearance is related to the painting. And she knows she is desperate enough to let the strange boy who claims to have been Inez’s neighbor tag along. Even if his good looks don’t help distract from his avoidance of her questions. So begins a scavenger hunt piecing together what they can find from what Inez left behind. One that leads to centuries-old questions best left unasked and secrets best kept in the dark.
From the author of A Guide to the Dark comes another romantic and eerie mystery about the lengths we are willing to go for the truth and the ones we love.