Eight of Our Favorite Arab American Children’s Books

April is Arab American Heritage Month, but stories about and for Arab American children remain relatively rare. Despite the population of Arabs in the United States totaling 3.7 million people with origins spanning 22 countries, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center found that only about 1% of the 3,322 children’s books published in the United States in 2024 were by or about Arabs. 

In fact, there are countless more stories of Arabs in the United States that are yet to be told that can help nurture their positive social identity. Stories can help to foster empathy and common humanity, which is especially important for Arab American children in the United States. In a study of blatant dehumanization—that is, “openly held beliefs about the inherent inferiority of other groups relative to the ingroup”—researchers found that Americans viewed Arabs among the least evolved or human-like of all the groups included in their study. That translates into real-world actions: The latest FBI hate crime statistics released in 2024 revealed the highest-ever number of anti-Arab incidents in the United States since 2015 (when the FBI introduced this category) and a 34% increase since the year prior.

“Dehumanization silences empathy at the most basic levels,” explains researcher Jamil Zaki. And as esteemed novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says: “Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.”

Here are eight exceptional children’s books highlighting beautifully layered stories of Arabs. They range from picture books for preschoolers to novels in verse for teens that are meaningful “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” for home and classroom libraries for all our children across the United States. 

Hilwa’s Gifts, written by Safa Suleiman, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

This is a joyful story of young Ali visiting his family in Palestine during the olive harvest. Ali has a particular love for one of the olive trees in the grove named Hilwa (“sweet one” in Arabic) that his Seedo (“grandfather” in Arabic) planted with his own grandfather, Ali’s great-great grandfather. Readers will enjoy playful scenes of characters climbing trees, dancing, singing, and picnicking. With his wise and loving grandfather as his guide, Ali begins to understand the bountiful gifts of the olive trees and his enduring connection to his family, his people, and Palestine.

The story begins with three daughters in bed waiting for their bedtime story, their room filled with family photos, as well as an oud (stringed musical instrument) and a kaffiyeh (scarf)—pieces of their homeland. Their father comes in and shares his memories of visiting his grandparents in Palestine: a world full of delicious food, generosity, music-making, and storytelling. While his children have never been to Palestine, their father ends the bedtime story with his hope of return. Throughout this celebratory book, the illustrations showcase how the memories and culture of their father’s homeland shape his daughters’ lives. 

Ten Ways to Hear Snow, written by Cathy Camper, illustrated by Kenard Pak

This peaceful and meditative book follows young Lina’s journey through the snow to help her Sitti (“grandmother” in Arabic) cook. A blizzard has fallen over the city, and as Lina walks through quiet white streets, past friends, and through parks, she observes all of the ways she hears the snow: the crunches under boots, the pats of snowmen being built, and the drips of snow melting. Lina finally reaches Sitti’s house, and they playfully cook together, sharing the family tradition of grape leaf day, while Lina tells her about all the ways she heard the snow. The book reminds us all to slow down, notice, and listen. 

Sitti’s Secrets, written by Naomi Shihab Nye, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

This poetic tale recounts a young girl’s trip to visit her Sitti in Palestine, beautifully expressing the experience of so many who go to sleep as their loved ones across the world are waking up. Shihab Nye describes the experience of speaking and playing without words with loved ones with whom we may not share a language. The book is full of tender illustrations and memories of Sitti’s lemon tree, her wisdom, and the beauty of Palestine that she shares with young Mona.

This book transports us to the rivers, marshes, sand dunes, and ancient cities of Iraq—the shapes that inspired Zaha Hadid, a world-renowned architect, to imagine the magnificent buildings that we see today in cities around the globe. The colorful illustrations show us the visual inspiration she took with her from her home in Baghdad as she traveled to London to study architecture. From tall buildings that dance like reeds in marshes to an opera house inspired by stones in a stream, the book shows the magic of Hadid’s creativity melding with the shapes of her childhood. 

Almost Sunset, written and illustrated by Wahab Algarmi

Hassan is a seventh grader who suddenly is flunking math because he frequently falls asleep in class and has fanciful dreams, like flying through a delicious world with a river of floating hot dogs. Soccer playoffs are right around the corner, but his troubles continue on the pitch because he keeps leaving practice early. This comical and relatable graphic novel will have readers rooting for its protagonist, who is navigating Ramadan as a Yemeni adolescent in a community he thinks wouldn’t understand him but who—in a twist—finds it is filled with empathy and friendship.   

Kareem Between, written by Shifa Saltagi Safadi

Kareem loves the Chicago Bears and dreams of being the quarterback on his middle school football team. But like his beloved Bears, he faces disappointment and failure. Adam, his best friend, just moved away. Kareem doesn’t make the team. He fumbles when he tries to speak Arabic during phone conversations with his Jido (another Arabic word for “grandfather”) in Syria and to new Syrian immigrant Fadi. Kareem’s desperation to make his football dreams come true and to belong at school leads him on a path of mistakes from which he doesn’t know how to recover. In the end, Kareem faces his fears, makes amends, and finds his voice to fight for what is right.

Nima’s name means “grace” in Arabic, but her clumsiness makes her feel anything but graceful. Nima was meant to be named Yasmeen (“jasmine” in Arabic), and she imagines Yasmeen would be everything Nima is not—vivacious, charming, and fluent in Arabic. Her best friend Haitham calls Nima a “nostalgia monster” because although she and her mother live in America, Nima loves to watch old movies and listen to old songs from her mother and father’s Sudan. This elegant supernatural story written in verse is a heartfelt coming-of-age journey of a 14 year old who unearths her family history, discovers the richness of her beautiful life and the beloved people to whom she belongs, and learns important lessons about alternate possibilities.