List of Children’s Books about/for Arab Children

Here is a list I've compiled of books that are written in English that will give a positive view of the Arab culture and evade stereotype.

* Abdel-Fattah, Randa. Does my head look big in this? New York: Orchard Books, 2007.

* Abdel-Fattah, Randa. Ten things I hate about me. New York: Orchard Books, 2009.

* Abdel-Fattah, Randa. Where the streets had a name. New York: Scholastic Press, 2010.

* Azzoubi, Rana. Million Star Hotel. Charleston, SC: BookSurge Publishing, 2009.

* Azzoubi, Rana. Through a Mud Wall. Charleston, SC: BookSurge Publishing, 2007.

* Bahous, S. Sitti and the cats: A tale of friendship. Boulder, CO: Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1997.

* Ben-‘Ezer, Ehud. Hosni the dreamer: an Arabian tale. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1997.

* Boueri, Marijean. Lebanon 1-2-3: A counting Book in Three Languages. Exeter, NH: Publishing Works, 2005.

* Boueri, Marijean. Lebanon A to Z: a Middle Eastern mosaic. Exeter, NH: Publishing Works, 2005.

* Bunting, Eve. One green apple. New York: Clarion Books, 2006.

* Butler, Sean and Shannon. Issa and the Coin. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2007

* Carmi, D. Samir and Yonatan. New York: Arthur A. Levin Books, 2000.

* Clinton, C. A Stone in my Hand. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2002.

* Cohen, Miriam. Layla's Head Scarf. Cambridge, MA: Star Bright Books, 2009.

* da Costa, Deborah. Snow in Jerusalem. Morton Grove, IL : A. Whitman, 2001

* Devine, Barbara. Elvis the Camel. Northampton, MA: Crocodile Books, 2002.

* Durkee, N. The Animals of Paradise. London, UK: Hood Hood Books, 1996.

* Ellis, Deborah. Children of War. Toronto, Canada: Groundwood Books, 2009.

* Ellis, Deborah. No Safe Place. Toronto, Canada: Groundwood Books, 2010.

* Farmer, Nancy. Clever Ali. New York: Orchard Books, 2006.

* Geyer, Flora. Saladin: the Muslim warrior who defended his people. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006.

* Gray, Nigel. A Balloon for Grandad. New York: Orchard Books, 1988.

* Hafiz, Dilara and Imran Hafiz and Yasmine Hafiz. The American Muslim Teenager's Handbook. Phoenix, AZ: Acacia Publishing, 2007.

* Heide, Florence Perry and Judith Heide Gilliland. Days of Ahmed’s Secret. New York: Clarion, 1990.

* Heide, Florence Perry and Judith Heide Gilliland. The House of Wisdom. New York: DK, 1999.

* Heide, Florence Perry and Judith Heide Gilliland. Sami and the Time of Troubles. New York: Clarion, 1992.

* Henderson, Kathy. Lugalbanda: the boy who got caught up in a war. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2006.

* Hickox, R. The Golden Sandal. New York: Holiday House, 1998.

* Hill, Eric. Boby Yazhab Ilal Madrasa (Spot Goes to School) (Arabic edition). New York: Interlink Pub Group, 1988.

* Hughes, Vi. Aziz the Storyteller. Northampton, MA: Crocodile Books, 2002.

* Hussain, Asim. Khadijah goes to School. Toronto, Canada: LogixPlayer Inc. 2011.

* Johnson-Davies, D. Aladdin. Dokki, Cairo: Hoopoe Books, 1995.

* Johnson-Davies, D. Goha the Wise Fool. Dokki, Cairo: Hoopoe Books, 1993.

* Johnson-Davies, D. Stories from the Arab Past. Dokki, Cairo: Hoopoe Books, 1997.

* Johnson, Julia. A is for Arabia. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2005.

* Johnson, Julia. The Cheetah's Tale. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2004.

* Johnson, Julia. A Gift of the Sands. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2005.

* Johnson, Julia. Humpy Grumpy Saves the Day. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2007.

* Johnson, Julia. One Humpy Grumpy Camel. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2006.

* Johnson, Julia. The Pearl Diver. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2003.

* Johnson, Julia. Saluki, Hound of the Bedouin. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2005.

* Katz, Karen. My First Ramadan. New York: Henry Holt and Co. 2007.

* Kimmel, Eric A. Joha makes a wish: a Middle Eastern tale. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2010.

* Laird, Elizabeth. A Fistful of Pearls ad other Tales from Iraq. London, UK: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2008.

* Laird, Elizabeth. A little piece of ground. Chicago, IL : Haymarket Books, 2006.

* Lewin, T. The Storytellers. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1998.

* Marchant, Kerena. Muslim Festival Tales. Austin, TX: Raintree/ Steck-Vaughn, 2001.

* Matthews, Mary. Magid Fasts for Ramadan. New York: Clarion Books, 1996.

* Matze, Claire Sidhom. The Stars in My Geddoh’s Sky. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman, 2000.

* MacDonald, Margaret Read. How many donkeys? An Arabic counting tale. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Co., 2009

* MacDonald, Margaret Read. Tunjur Tunjur Tunjur: A Palestinian Folktale. Cavendish, Marshall Corporation, 2006.

* Mobin-Uddin, Asma. The Best Eid Ever. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2007.

* Mobin-Uddin, Asma. My Name is Bilal. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2005.

* Morris, Ann. Grandma Hekmatt remembers: an Arab-American family story. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 2003.

* Munshey, Sana. We're Off To Make 'Umrah. Leicestershire, UK: Islamic Foundation, 2010.

* Nagda, Ann W. Dear Whiskers. New York: Holiday House, 2000.

* Nicki, Peter. Crocodile, Crocodile. Northampton, MA: Crocodile Books, 1976.

* Nimr, Sonia. Ghaddar the Ghoul and Other Palestinian Stories. London: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2008.

* Nye, Naomi Shihab. Habibi. New York: Simon Pulse, 1999.

* Nye, Naomi Shihab. Sitti's Secrets. New York: Four Winds Press, 1994.

* Oppenheim, Shulamith. The Hundredth Name. Honesdale, PA: Boyd’s Mill, 1995.

* Osborne, Mary Pope. Season of the sandstorms. New York: Random House, 2005.

* Raatma, Lucia. Queen Noor: American-born queen of Jordan. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2006.

* Rumford, J. Traveling man: The journey of Ibn Battuta. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.

* Rumford, James. Silent Music. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2008.

* Sales, Francesc d'A. Ibrahim. New York: Lippincott, 1989.

* Shalaby, Alaa. Geemo and the Missing Egg. Mckeesport, PA: ShalabyMedia, 2008.

* Sharif, Medeia.  Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. Woodbury, MN: Fluz Publishing, 2011.


* Shefelman, J. A Peddler's Dream. Austin, TX: Houghton Mifflin, 1992.

* Sheffield, Marilyn. Fizza the Flamingo. Northampton, MA: Crocodile Books, 2003.

* Shulevitz, Uri. The travels of Benjamin of Tudela. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.

* Simpson, Juwairiah J. L. A Wicked Wazir. Plainfield, IN: American Trust Publications, 1990.

* Simpson, Juwairiah J. L. The four daughters of Yusuf the dairy farmer. Plainfield, IN: American Trust Publications, 1984.

* Simpson, Juwairiah J. L. The Jinn in the Clock. Plainfield, IN: American Trust Publications, 1990.

* Simpson, Juwairiah J. L. The Princess Who Wanted to Be Poor. Plainfield, IN: American Trust Publications, 1987.

* Smith, Chris. One city, two brothers. Cambridge, MA : Barefoot Books, 2007.

* Spalding, Elizabeth and Sarah. Dahman: The Mystery of the Champion Arabian Horse. Saudi Arabia: Al Mutawa Press, 2006.

* Stamaty, Mark Alan. Alia's mission: saving the books of Iraq. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.

* Stanley, D. Saladin: Noble prince of Islam. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.

* Stolz, J. The Shadows of Ghadames. New York. Delacorte Press, 2004.

* Tondino-Gonguet, Grace. Halimah and the Snake And other Omani Folk Tales. London: Stacey International Publishers, 2008.

* Von Denffer, Ahmad. Islam for Children. Leicester, UK: Islamic Foundation, 2008.

* Whelan, Gloria. Parade of shadows. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.

* Whitesides, Barbara. Sugar Comes from Arabic. Northampton, MA: Interlink Books, 2009.

* Wildsmith, Brian. Animals to Count. Long Island City, NY: Star Bright Books, 2009.

* Wilkes, Sybella. Out of Iraq. London, UK: Evans Brothers Limited, 2010.

* Williams, Karen Lynn and Khadra Mohammad. Four Feet, Two Sandals Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007.

* Winter, Jeanette. The librarian of Basra: a true story from Iraq. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc, 2005.

* Zeman, L. Sindbad: From the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights. Toronto, Ontario: Tundra Books, 1999.