Anait Semirdzhyan – illustratör

A very funny and endearing loose-tooth vacation story, told entirely in video calls from a child to his grandmotherGrandma (aka Mimi) is used to getting video calls from her grandson at all hours, and so she is able to enjoy all the events of his vacation along with him: the swimming pool and beach, the zoo, the donut shop, and even the airport. Best of all, she gets to see his loose tooth get wobblier and wobblier, and to reassure him when he worries that the tooth fairy won't know how to find him.Packed with laughs and authenticity, this story of family love and childhood exuberance is a silly and sweet read-aloud with a joyous finale.

Kanzi’s family has moved from Egypt to America, and on her first day in a new school, what she wants more than anything is to fit in. Maybe that’s why she forgets to take the kofta sandwich her mother has made for her lunch, but that backfires when Mama shows up at school with the sandwich. Mama wears a hijab and calls her daughter Habibti (dear one). When she leaves, the teasing starts.That night, Kanzi wraps herself in the beautiful Arabic quilt her teita (grandma) in Cairo gave her and writes a poem in Arabic about the quilt. Next day her teacher sees the poem and gets the entire class excited about creating a “quilt” (a paper collage) of student names in Arabic. In the end, Kanzi’s most treasured reminder of her old home provides a pathway for acceptance in her new one.  This authentic story with beautiful illustrations includes a glossary of Arabic words and a presentation of Arabic letters with their phonetic English equivalents.

We celebrate firemen and soldiers—and rightly so. But let’s also celebrate teachers, bus drivers, shop keepers, postmen and the others who keep the world spinning around every day. And let’s give a nod to children, too—children who are kind and brave and help each other. They’re heroes too. In structure, flow and pitch, very much like Pat Brisson’s Before We Eat (ISBN 978 0 88448 652 7).

Upon learning that the books with kids who look like her have been banned by her school district, Kanzi descends into fear and helplessness. But her classmates support her, and together—with their teacher’s help—they hatch a plan to hold a bake sale and use the proceeds to buy diverse books to donate to libraries. The event is a big success; the entire school participates, and the local TV station covers it in the evening news. Prodded by her classmates to read the poem she has written, Kanzi starts softly but finds her voice. “You have banned important books, but you can’t ban my words,” she reads. “Books are for everyone.” The crowd chants, “No banned books! No banned books!” and the next week, the ban is reversed.Aya Khalil appends a note about how The Arabic Quilt was briefly banned from the York, Pennsylvania school system, and the backmatter also includes a recipe for baklawa, the Egyptian pastry that Kanzi prepares for the bake sale.

A sweet intergenerational picture book celebrating the beauty of downsizing, decluttering, and accepting change. This warm, thoughtful story makes space for what truly matters: family. A heartfelt tool for parents to teach their kids mindfulness, gratitude, and the gentle way of letting go of what no longer serves you.When Grandma announces she is moving from her big old house to a little new condo, she and her family realize she has too many things. They just won't fit in her new place!Luckily they have a solution: everyone will help Grandma downsize! But while they sort through, they realize that everyday items like art supplies, jewelry, and books possess unique memories and stories that they hold dear.The family finds the solution in creating three piles: Keep, Donate, and Throw Away. As each pile grows, Grandma realizes it will be okay, so long as she saves space in her new condo--and her heart--for those she loves most.