Celebrate Diversity: 30 Arab-American Books for Kids Aged 4-8(ish)
All written by Arab and Arab-American authors.
Welcome! Parenting in Hard Mode is a community and safe space for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, and differently-abled parents who are raising Gen Alpha kids (born 2010-2024) and nurturing social justice-minded families—all while taking care of our mental health. Allies welcome, too. Please subscribe to connect with fellow parents through empathy and compassion. Let’s build our virtual village together.
One of the things I want most for my child and the children of today is for them to grow up in a world that is kind and compassionate towards people who are different than them. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that it feels like we’ve taken several dozen steps back since 2016 here in the U.S. and across the world, but it will always be my goal to celebrate the diversity of humans and help kids learn about our variety of lived experiences. And what better way to learn about other people’s cultures and lives than through books written by those people?
Last year, I highlighted 14 LGBTQIA+ books for kids aged 0-3 years old. I always planned to write more about books that center on diversity and inclusion—so here it is! (And yes, this will be the first of many similar lists.)
Since April 2024 marks the 4th celebration of Arab American Heritage Month, I thought this would be a good place to start. I’ll be honest that, other than one of Rio’s daycare teachers wearing a hijab, we don’t interact with many Arab-Americans on a regular basis. Personally, I find the demographics of Colorado to be shockingly white. While I work on changing that for my own family, I recognize that this is probably true for many of us when it comes to who we see in our own communities since where we live, our own backgrounds, and our socioeconomic status often impact who our neighbors are. But books have always had the power to expand our worldview.
I was always the kid who loved to read about all kinds of people throughout the world, and books remain one of the best places to learn and celebrate the things that make us different and unique while remembering that we are all humans who deserve compassion and acceptance.
So, I bring you this list of 30 children’s books for kids aged 4-8(ish) that celebrate Arab and Arab-American culture, history, and lived experiences—all written by Arab-American and Arab authors.
A few things to mention before you dig into the list…
This post is apparently too long for email, so you can click on this link to read the full thing—which will mostly be seeing the complete list of books.
You can also find the full list of Arab-American Books for Kids Aged 4-8(ish) on my Bookshop. If you purchase from my link, I’ll receive a tiny commission that will help me devote more time and energy to researching future book lists. (Cause, yes, lists like this take a lot of time to research.)
I want to give a big thank you to
for reviewing this booklist. I love her powerful and informative writing—especially in “To be Gazan During Ramadan.” Subscribe to her fabulous Substack, Letters From a Muslim Woman, for more.Other resources for diverse children’s books include We Need Diverse Books, your local library (click here to find the nearest one), Multicultural Children’s Book Day, Little Free Library, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (where you can sign up to receive free books for kids 0-5 years old).
Halal Hot Dogs by Susannah Aziz
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Baba, What Does My Name Mean? A Journey to Palestine by Rifk Ebeid
The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah with Kelly Dipucchio
Salma the Syrian Chef by Danny Ramadan
The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil
Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi
Mama in Congress: Rashida Tlaib's Journey to Washington by Rashida & Adam Tlaib with Miranda Paul
Eleven Words for Love: A Journey Through Arabic Expressions of Love by Randa Abdel-Fattah
The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story by Aya Khalil
The Cat Man of Aleppo by Karim Shamsi-Basha & Irene Latham
Yasmin in Charge by Saadia Faruqi
Under My Hijab by Hena Khan
Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed
My Friend Suhana: A Story of Friendship and Cerebral Palsy by Shaila Abdullah
Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper
Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers by Uma Mishra-Newbery & Lina Al-Hathloul
Amira's Picture Day by Reem Faruqi
In My Mosque by M. O. Yuksel
Counting Up the Olive Tree: A Palestine Number Book by Golbarg Bashi
Egyptian Lullaby by Zeena M. Pliska
Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater by Zahra Lari & Hadley Davis
P Is for Palestine: A Palestine Alphabet Book by Golbarg Bashi
Babajoon’s Treasure by Farnaz Esnaashari
Under the Sana'a Skyline by Salwa Mawari
I'll Love You From Afar by Racha Mourtada
My Name is Bana by Bana Alabed
Swimming Toward a Dream: Yusra Mardini's Incredible Journey from Refugee to Olympic Swimmer by Reem Faruqi
Insha'allah, No, Maybe So by Rhonda Roumani & Nadia Roumani
Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck
What has been a favorite children’s book about a culture different from your own? What other diverse book lists do you want to see, and for kids of what ages? I’d love to hear from all of you!
Abrazos,
Your friendly neighborhood bisexual Latina mom with ADHD raising a Gen Alpha kid
This is wonderful. Looking forward to reading.
I look forward digging into this list! Our rural Colorado library does have the Yasmin books on the shelf and they are great. Thank goodness for inter-library loan which will allow us to check out these others. I hear you on the lack of diversity in Colorado. Expanding my son’s experience of diversity through books is critical to my parenting. Thanks for putting this together!