Children's Books from and about Palestine
In collaboration with
This ongoing project initiated by IBBY UK honours the existence of books from and about Palestine that the world's children can share. This collection has been exhibited at the IBBY Stand at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, the Shanghai Children's Book Fair, and the Guadalajara International Book fair, with more exhbitions to come.
IBBY UK and IBBY are very pleased to call all IBBY sections and members of the IBBY community to make further suggestions for this collection.
We sincerely thank all individuals and organizations for their generous suggestions and contributions to the IBBY Collection of Children's Books from and about Palestine. Your input is invaluable in helping us identify meaningful and diverse titles.
Please note that while all recommendations are warmly received and carefully reviewed, the final selection of titles for the Collection presently rests solely with the IBBY project team of English and Arabic speakers. Decisions are made based on the collection’s specific curatorial criteria, thematic balance, and available exhibition space. We appreciate your understanding and your shared commitment to amplifying Palestinian voices in children’s literature.
To send suggestions, access the official form here.
For any further questions, please contact IBBY UK (pamdix29@gmail.com),
Picture Books
طلال وأرض البرتقال Talal & The Land of Orange | What will happen when Talal’s precious orange tree comes under threat? Can he save it… or will he need to come up with another plan? In this beautifully written story by award-winning author Mohanned Al Akouse, young readers are gently guided through the emotions of loss, resilience, and hope—themes that are very relevant to our reality today. Told in a simple and heartfelt style, the story teaches children that holding on to what we love and striving to reclaim it is a powerful form of strength. A gentle tale that sparks curiosity, nurtures a sense of justice, and celebrates the feeling of belonging. |
قناع الغريب (The Stranger’s Mask) | An Arabic picture book, illustrated by a Palestinian illustrator, that explains the meaning of settler colonialism through a simple symbolic story. A stranger wearing a smiling mask comes to a village one day and starts to befriend the local people. He observes them from the grey house he builds away from everybody else’s homes. Even though he hides his true identity, he manages to get close to the villagers and gains their hospitality. The stranger takes over the house of his local best friend, and the illustrations show more grey houses sweeping across the pages. The book ends with a question about the ability of the people to stop the occupation, an open-ended book to promote discussion. Winner of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature, 2023. |
| سعيد والكوفية العجيبة (Saeed & The Special Keffiyeh) Dana Al-Husseini, illustration by Heba Kwaik Zingo Ringo Books, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2025 ISBN 978-2-940-68606-3 | This delightful story celebrates one of the most iconic symbols of Palestinian identity: the keffiyeh. It is a tale of adventure and excitement as the keffiyeh twists and transforms into different forms. Join Saeed on his journey, enjoy some catchy singing tunes and fall in love with Palestine and her rich culture. |
حياة: على غير العادة (Life - An Unusual Gaza) | Life in this story seems unusual, and indeed it is, as an image of barbed wire threads through the book in the places that children play, indicating the disruption of normal life in Gaza. But nevertheless, this is a book about joy and the love of life. |
Oh Nana | Simple but profound, a beautiful conversation between children and their grandmother about what is happening to them. Where have all our photos gone? What has happened to our home? Have they stolen our dreams? The grandmother’s response is always positive: ‘turn your dreams into stories about children living with dignity’. The very evocative illustrations include a series of blue and white drawings of the places they remember. Also available in Arabic. |
بيّارة برتقال (Orange Grove) | This is a silent book that commemorates the courage of Gazan children who would write their names on their arms so that they could be recognised if anything happened to them during the genocide. The illustrations show a girl in a traditional Palestinian thobe (dress) weaving a nest for the hoopoe while having the real names of the children of Gaza written on her arms. The tearful girl with her orange-adorned hair embodies the spirit of the present Palestinian grove with its chained trees. However, she paves the way for a hopeful future for children, many of whom are disabled as a result of the war. Arabic / English. |
The Donkey who Carried the War on her Back | Zahra, a donkey, describes her life in Gaza as she accompanies her friend Sami. She helps to transport food and other goods around her community yet she is always hearing people talking about the difficulties of their situation – sanctions, closures, embargoes, blockade. Then war comes and her beautiful city is destroyed and her role changes. She transports ration supplies, water and takes the wounded to hospital and fleeing families to the border. Despite this Zahra is optimistic and believes that, through people’s resilience, freedom will come one day. Also available in Arabic. |
| Handala's Odyssey Hooda Al Shawa, illustration by Shereed Said Cinnamon Art Publishing, Singapore, 2026 ISBN 978-9811-83403-5 | A picture book for young children about Handala, an iconic Palestinian refugee boy with a heart full of stories, who sets sail toward a home he has never seen but has always known. He travels through various imaginary adventures eventually joining the boats of the Freedom Flotilla, hearing the voices of social activists from around the world. |
البقرات العزيزات (The Dearest Cows) | Based on a true story, this picture book presents the Palestinian town Beit Sahour and its resistance against the occupation of their land. It is narrated from the perspective of cows that help the people reclaim their rights and gain independence by producing their own milk and food. As the cows come to be seen as a threat to the occupation's control over livelihoods, the book highlights the power of boycotting the coloniser's products as an act of resistance in the struggle for freedom and justice. This book won the Sharjah Best Children's Audiobook Award 2025. |
| سنعود (We Will Return) Nahed Al Shawa, illustration by Baraa Al Awoor Noon Books, Nahed Al Shawa Cultural, Canada, 2024 ISBN 978-1-990676-31-4 | A story for the very young about a Palestinian child who loves his land, its palm trees, scent of jasmine, and his kite... Suddenly, his beloved land was stolen by the occupation, causing him much pain, but he clings to the sun shining in his heart, promising the land ‘We will return!’ |
| Bulqash Yara Bamieh. Translated from Arabic by María Belén Moruno Rodríguez. Burro Lector, Spain, 2025 ISBN 978-84-122647-9-1 | Once a year, Bulqash visits an island full of wild rabbits. The hares eagerly await this special day because Bulqash teaches them to see things from a different perspective, to find the magic within the everyday. This is a story about longing, about play, and about how life can be a source of wonder. The tale plays with words and images to create a world where the unexpected can happen. The author is from Palestine. The Arabic edition of the book won an Etisalat Award for Children's Literature. The Spanish edition was nominated for the Banco del Libro awards. |
The Lilac Girl | This book was written in Arabic and was a winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and is now available in English in a translation by the author. Tamam can only visit her childhood home in her dreams and in creative expression through drawing and painting. When she visits her house in her imagination, the door is closed but its colours seep out and follow her. A story simply told but full of meaning. Original Arabic edition published by the Tamer Institute. |
بوابة القدس الخفية (Jerusalem’s Hidden Gate) | Inside an art museum, three children contemplate a painting of Jerusalem wishing they could visit it, when suddenly the painting opens like a gate, inviting them to enter. The children jump in and find themselves in the middle of the city. They set off through the alleys, markets, and old streets of Jerusalem, eating delicious food and playing soccer and hide-and-seek. At the end of a wonderful day, they jump out of the painting and return to the museum. From that day, this painting has become a secret passage for children all over the world to enter the city of Jerusalem and explore its historic streets and vibrant neighbourhoods. Details of the painting and the artists are included at the end of the book. |
| شجرة أخي (My Brother’s Tree) Ahlam Bsharat, illustration by Mays Farid Tamer Institute for Community Education, Palestine, 2025 ISBN 978-9950-27-153-1 | This is a picture book that deals with the loss of a brother, posing the question ‘where is he gone?’. The older brother no longer comes home so the younger brother/narrator keeps looking for him in the everyday memories they shared at home and school. The book introduces the healing power of friendship and ends with the positive act of planting a fig tree to remember the missing brother. |
| مياو مياو (Meow Meow) Ahlam Bsharat, illustration by Haya Halaw Tamer Institute for Community Education, Palestine, 2025 ISBN 978-9950-27-119-7 | The story is dedicated to the children of Gaza who were forced to leave their homes with their beloved pets. It captures the tense moments before displacement, when families must quickly choose one thing to carry: something light, loved, and essential. The little girl Fatima refused to leave her pet behind when forced out of Beit Hanoun in Gaza. The book addresses the cruelty of forced displacement from the perspective of a child who is unsure what to take from home. The attention to detail in Halaw’s illustrations evokes the harsh ordeal of having to leave home and pack a bag, choosing only one item that is lightweight and essential. This book will be used in a project supported by the British Council with 200 displaced children and youth in Gaza and the north of the West Bank. As part of 'Amplifying Palestinian Voices,' the initiative uses children’s literature and podcasting in English to share stories of resilience, aiming to support the voices and memories of those who have lost their homes but not their dreams. |
| Meu nome (My Name) Marilda Castanha Companhia das Letrinhas, São Paulo, Brazil, 2025 ISBN 978-65-548-5107-7 | When a Palestinian child asks their family why they have their given name, they discover how much meaning and empowerment a name holds. The mother says the name speaks of sweetness and serenity; the father says it contains courage to care for and preserve their land. The child learns that their name holds memories and says so much about their history, who they are, what they do. And that’s why the child and their friends write their names everywhere ― even on their own hands and feet ― so that they will never be forgotten. In this moving story, author and illustrator Marilda Castanha takes what might be marks of victimhood ― the names of children written on their bodies ― and transforms this into an act of empowerment and an insistence on being seen and remembered. This beautifully illustrated story is an invitation to reflect on the impact of war on children's lives, the hope for world peace, and the importance of remaining true to our identities and origins. Portuguese. English edition to be published by Groundwood as My Name, translated by Jane Springer, 2026. ISBN 978-1-77946-165-0. |
معجم الإبادة: مفردات استخدمها أطفال غزة (The Lexicon of Genocide) | “The Lexicon of Genocide” is not a lexicon in the traditional sense. It is a list of terms born out of troubled times and represented as a part of the diaries of Gazan children. It is an attempt to understand what children are saying as they face the war, categorised into aspects of their daily life. Each word is accompanied by a child’s illustration. English edition to be published. |
| The Quad Bird Children from Mecca Camp, Deir Al-Balah Tamer Institute for Community Education, Palestine, 2025 ISBN 978-9950-27-114-2 | The story’s title was inspired by the ‘quadcopter’, a small unmanned vehicle with four rotors used for surveillance. In the story it is transformed into a terrifying monster which makes awful noises. The book is the outcome of a series of workshops with a group of children to help them re-connect with themselves after experiencing the horrors of war. The result is a powerful collection of images and a story which explores danger and the power of imagination to help deal with difficulties. Arabic and English editions available. |
| What becomes of Eid? Children of the Sea and Groves Tamer Institute for Community Education, 2022 ISBN 978-9950-270-66-4 | Dual language edition of stories of children in Gaza reflecting on Eid. Eid celebrations that have been lost and their hopes for the future. |
| No Warmth in the Tent: Stories told by Displaced Children Children of the Sea and Groves Tamer Institute for Community Education, Palestine, 2025 ISBN 978-9950-27-138-8 | Powerful stories about life in the camp told through a series of whole page illustrations and accompanying text, each by a named child. Their stories show hardship and struggle as well as the unexpected joys in small things. Dual language Arabic and English. |
| Under the Olive Moon Nour Ferwana and Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, illustration by Raahat Kaduji Magic Cat Publishing, 2026 ISBN 978-1-91176-631-5 | Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, creator of the best-selling Little People, Big Dreams series has co-authored this beautifully illustrated collection of Palestinian fables, with Nour Ferwana, a mother from Gaza. When Maria Isabel began exchanging messages with Nour, she learned how she kept her daughters' spirits alive at bedtime from her tent in Gaza. "My name is Nour, and the stories in this book are the ones that my husband Majed and I tell to our little girls - Malak and Joud - from our tent in Gaza. Some are old fables that have been told for many years. Others I have gathered and saved for them. They are gifts passed from one generation to the next, like treasures carried in our pockets - treasures that can turn our little tent into a palace, a garden, or a ship. We share with you because every child, everywhere, deserves to grow up with these stories." This remarkable book overflows with joy, crossing time and place to bring love and hope to readers of all ages. To be published October 2026. |
| These Olive Trees. A Palestinian Family’s Story Aya Ghanameh Viking, USA 2023 ISBN 978-059-3525-18-0 | The significance of the olive tree in Palestinian culture, history and survival is shown in this story based on the life of the author/illustrator’s grandmother, Oraib, born after the Nakba and destined to move to different refugee camps, always tending olive trees where they can and seeing them as a symbol of return. |
| Loose Threads (La Costura) Isol, translated from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel Enchanted Lion Books, USA 2024 ISBN 978-159-270-392-0 | Internationally acclaimed Argentinian author/illustrator Isol created this picturebook about Leilah who is always losing things and tries to find a solution for this, believing that they are slipping through to a mysterious Other Side. It was originally conceived for a project ‘Palestinian Art History as Told by Everyday Objects’ and inspired by a traditional hand-embroidered shawl, given to Isol when she visited the Tamer Institute, photos of which form the backgrounds of the illustrations. |
| Watan's Inspiring Garden Haya Jamal Jaber, illustration by Maryna Kryvets Library for All, Brisbane, Australia, 2025 ISBN 978-1-923485-09-9 | Wheelchair-user Watan finds a seed which he nurtures into a flower that attracts butterflies, birds, and the other children in the camp where he lives. They learn that even the smallest seed can bring life and hope. The shared enthusiasm about the plant encourages Watan to join in the other children’s games. This early reader is written by a Palestinian author, and published in Australia by Library For All, in association with Save The Children's OPT country office. Arabic edition also available. |
| قرب الخيمة تحت الغيمة (Near the Tent Under the Cloud) Israa Kallash, illustration by Bara' Awoor Tamer Institute for Community Education, Palestine, 2024 ISBN 978-9950-27-114-2 | A story about the children of Gaza, who escape from the harsh reality of their tents through their imaginations, roaming through various Palestinian cities. Each of them shares a tale of their adventure in a different city: capturing a dragon and hurling it over Jenin, catching a fish from Lake Tiberias, battling a crocodile, “punching it so hard that it flew over Jerusalem.” And then there are those who dream of the moon draping them in a coat it brought from Hebron. Each ‘adventure’ is imaginatively illustrated. |
What the Children Drew: Art from Gaza and Tokyo (みんなで見た こどものえ) | A collection of drawings made by a group of children from Gaza, living as refugees in Egypt, were taken to a school in Japan. Mainly memories of life and of conflict, these drawings were used to discuss the situation in Gaza with the children in Japan. An artist worked with the Japanese children to help them record their own personal reactions. The result is a powerful dialogue. Dual language – Japanese and English. |
| I am Palestindian Nishat Aisha Lal, illustration by Narges Hashemy Ketebe Publishing, UK/Turkey, 2025 ISBN 978-6255-99861-3 | Ray is a young girl living in London. Her father’s family is from Palestine and her mother’s from India, so her life is lived in three languages of English, Arabic and Urdu and three cultures. The visits to her respective grandparents give her the chance to find out about the foods eaten in each family and the languages spoken. All the Arabic and Urdu words and food names are explained in a very clear glossary at the end. She celebrates being Palest-Indian. This is a simple, easily accessible story about family and culture. |
| Sitti’s Bird. A Gaza Story Malak Mattar Crocodile Books, USA 2024 ISBN 978-16-237-1691-2 | Malak Mattar draws on her own experience as a child under occupation, describing her everyday life with her family and at school that is shattered by the escalation of Israel’s 2014 bombing of Gaza. She copes by discovering and expressing her artistic talent, using it as a means of communication within and beyond Palestine. Also available in Italian: Una colomba nel Cielo de Gaza (Piemme 2025. ISBN 978-88-5669-932-6). |
| If I Find My Bike (Which bike?) Narges Mirfeizi, illustration by Azam Vazehimoghadam Cloudakids, Turkey, 2024 ISBN 978-6228-93788-5 | This is the imaginative and deeply moving story of a child who dreams of recovering a bicycle left behind on the other side of a towering wall, in the home from which the family was displaced. Convinced that this bike can help change lives, the child imagines using it to generate electricity, deliver fresh bread, bring joy to hospitals and neighborhoods, and eventually ride beyond borders to share a message of hope, resilience, and peace with the world. Originally published in English, the book has since been translated and published in Persian, Arabic, Bosnian, Spanish, Turkish, and Malay. The Malay edition, Kalau Aku Jumpa Basikalku…, received special recognition by being selected for the 2025-2026 MBBY Honour List and was included among Malaysia’s Top 50 Children’s Books, highlighting its literary and cultural impact on the international children’s book scene. |
| Homeland. My Father Dreams of Palestine Hannah Moushabeck and Reem Madooh Chronicle, San Francisco, USA 2023 ISBN 978-17-972-0205-1 | This autobiographical picturebook reveals much about everyday life in Palestine prior to the Nakba with warmly related descriptions based on the stories told to the author by her father. We see and hear about their neighbours, their food, their music. While settled in the USA these children of the diaspora dream of the homeland of their family that they are unable to visit. Arabic edition: Crocodile Books. June 2026. ISBN 978-1-62371-560-1. |
| Sitti’s Secrets Naomi Shihab Nye, illustration by Nancy Carpenter Aladdin, USA, 1997 ISBN 978-0-689-81706-9 | First published around 30 years ago, this moving picturebook still has resonance concerning children of the Palestinian diaspora today. Mona living in a country far away from her grandmother recalls a visit to her father’s homeland where she participated in the daily life and culture of her Sitti. Returning home, she writes to the Secretary-General of the United Nations to tell him that she and Sitti vote for peace. |
| A Map for Falasteen. A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home Maysa Odeh, illustration by Aliaa Betawi O’Brien Press, Dublin, Ireland, 2024 ISBN 978-1-78849-555-4 | A child questions why her homeland of Palestine doesn’t appear on the map. Her family help her to understand how this has happened and her grandfather draws her a map to share with her teacher and friends. An author’s note provides personal and historical details. Also available in Spanish, Catalan, Basque (NubeOcho Feb 2026). |
| A Trip for Falesteen: A Palestinian Child’s Journey Home Maysa Odeh, illustration by Aliaa Betawi Henry Holt & Co, 2027 ISBN 978-1-25040-876-1 | In this follow up to A Map for Falasteen, Falasteen travels to Palestine for the first time experiencing both the beauty and challenges of her family’s homeland. To be published in 2027. |
| Upside-Down Iftar Maysa Odeh, illustration by Nadine Issa Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2026 ISBN 978-1-25036-555-2 | Makloubeh is a traditional dish but everyone likes to add their own favourite ingredients. Malak and her grandmother prepare iftar for their family in this delicious picture book which celebrates the culinary culture of Palestine. |
| أتبع الخيط (Following the Thread) Ala' Qarman Tamer Institute for Community Education, Palestine, 2024 ISBN 978-9950-27-051-0 | Following the Thread is a picturebook that addresses the diaspora of the writer and the illustrator. The book focuses on the “in-between times”, the sensation of not belonging to any place or time. It is the nostalgia for both the past and future, a yearning to belong to one timeline and space. Told through very powerful illustrations, the book describes what diaspora means, how immigration and war change the way a young adult understands the world. A complex powerful emotional read. Also available in dual language Arabic / Italian Bibliolibro, Rome, 2025. ISBN 978-88-99275-19-8. |
| They Are Not Numbers Sally Samir, translated by Ibrahim El-Tohamy & Hadeel Abdelsalam Marah Publishing House, Egypt 2024 ISBN 978-9779-675-30-5 | A dual-language picture book published in 2024 that painfully documents the grief, loss and death of children during the genocide. The simply drawn but powerful drawings are used for posters as well as illustrations in the book. |
| العمة زيّون وشجرة الزيتون (Aunt Zayon and the Olive Tree) Fatema Sharaf Aldin, illustration by Sinan Hallaq Dar Asala, Lebanon, 2010 ISBN 978-614-402-179-8 | The long history of Palestine is presented through the characters of a hundred-year-old grandmother and a three-hundred-year-old olive tree. Both appear as mirror images of each other through a parallel structure delineating their common traits such as resilience and generosity, demonstrating their importance in the lives of the villagers. |
| خيوط الشمس (Threads of the Sun) Lobna Shokry, illustration by Amira Tannany Noon Books: Nahed Al Shawa Cultural, Canada, 2026 ISBN 978-1-990676-50-5 | Naji is a boy from Gaza who loves photography. His mother gives him a camera to capture images of everything he finds beautiful in the world around him. This process teaches him to look carefully and to notice that even though the world around him is difficult, he can capture images that appreciate the beauty in daily life. This is an act of resistance against sadness and pain. The clever illustrations give a real sense of what he is photographing and, in the process, show the realities of life around him. |
From no.8 · Sally Samir: They Are Not Numbers
Fiction
| أمي وشجرة الزيتون (Mom and the Olive Tree) Donia Ismail, illustration by Hesham Solieman Dar Asala, Lebanon, 2019 ISBN 978-9953-95-197-3 | A middle grade book about the strong ties between the Palestinian people and their land with its olive, citrus and orange trees. It depicts how the peaceful life of Palestinian farmers has been disrupted by the Israeli military tanks. In this book, the Palestinian mother represents the organic connection to the land as well as embodies the practice of sumud (steadfastness) by hugging her olive tree in the face of the Israelis attempting to uproot it. It sends an empowering message of resistance: ‘We will remain’. |
| Code Name: Butterfly Ahlam Bsharat, translated from Arabic by Nancy Roberts Neem Tree Press, London 2016 ISBN 978-1911-107-02-6 | A short YA novel that was nominated to the IBBY Honour List in its original Arabic edition published in 2009. The young woman narrator uses the name Butterfly as her alter ego as she tries to make sense of the lives of those around her at personal and political levels as people living under occupation. She is an acute observer, considered to be ‘shrewd’ by her family but is often puzzled by people’s motivations. Note: Publisher has gone into liquidation. |
| Trees for the Absentees Ahlam Bsharat, translated from Arabic by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp and Sue Copeland Neem Tree Press, London 2019 ISBN 978-1911-107-23-1 | Originally published in Arabic in 2013 by the Tamer Institute. Philistia’s world melds reality and dreams. In many ways she has grown up quickly, initiated into ‘the secrets of life and the secrets of death’ by her Grandma Zahia with whom she works part-time with women in the hammam while in other respects her life is socially restricted. She relates her feelings by letter to her father in prison and exchanges confidences with her friend Fathia. She converses with Bayrakdar – does he exist or is he a figment of her imagination? For older teenagers. Note: Publisher has gone into liquidation. |
| A Little Piece of Ground Elizabeth Laird with Sonia Nimr Macmillan, London 2003 ISBN 978-1509-887-63-7 | Written by a UK author, who has lived in the Middle East and spent time in Palestine, in collaboration with a Palestinian author, this story is seen through the eyes of Karim as he and his friends try to lead a normal life in a country under occupation by claiming a piece of ground where they can play football in peace. First published more than 20 years ago this novel, which makes clear the daily humiliations suffered by Palestinians, continues to have deep resonance today. |
| Ida in the Middle Nora Lester Murad Crocodile Books, USA 2022 ISBN 978-1623-716-86-8 | Ida finds life tough in her American school due to her Palestinian heritage. The discovery of a jar of olives from her parents’ homeland transports her there and she experiences what life might have been like if her family had remained there and not moved to the USA. The author is from a Jewish American family, married to a Palestinian and they brought up their children in the West Bank. |
| ست الكلّ (Against the Tide) Taghreed Aaref Al-Najjar, illustration by Gulnar Hajo Dar al-Salwa, Jordan, 2023 (first edition 2013) ISBN 978-9957-04-253-0 | After the tragic death of her elder brother, and an unfortunate accident that leaves her father paralyzed and bound to his wheelchair, Yusra’s family is forced to beg for handouts. Then she has an idea: she decides to fix up her father’s fishing boat and take up his trade to become the first and only fisher woman in Gaza. Based on the true story of a young Palestinian girl called Madleen Kulab, after whom one of the Freedom Flotilla vessels is named. Penguin Random House will publish an English language version, date to be confirmed. |
| أبي السجين 118 (My Father, Prisoner 118) Taghreed Aaref Al-Najjar, illustration by Nada Amro Dar al-Salwa, Jordan, 2022 ISBN 978-9957-04-229-5 | When 16-year-old Hussam returns home from his friend’s house, he is shocked to find police cars at their building and his father handcuffed and arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in a counterfeit money operation. All the evidence points to his fathers’ guilt but Hussam has no doubt of his innocence. Hussam is now faced with two options, he either looks on helplessly as his father goes to jail or tries to find the evidence to clear him with the help of his friends. The interactions between the friends add depth to this page turning story, which offers a blend of suspense, personal growth and cultural insights. Chosen for the White Ravens Catalogue in 2024. |
ستّي الفلسطينية (My Palestinian Grandmother) | This YA novel explores themes of Palestinian identity in diaspora and intergenerational memory. The story follows Farida and Mazen, third-generation Palestinian refugees, who meet by chance in Paris and discover that their family histories are intertwined through displacement from Haifa in 1948 (to Aleppo). The memory of Nakba is preserved through grandmothers and the stories they pass down - whether in video calls or in a velvet box filled with diaries and letters. Rich in vivid descriptions and cultural references, the book serves as a bridge between different generations and places. Through the characters' close engagement with Western art, it offers a powerful critique of the Orientalist views and colonial gaze that have sought to capture 'the colours of the East' while asserting control over both land and bodies. This book invites readers to uncover the stories and secrets of their own grandmothers. |
| Children of the Stone City Beverley Naidoo HarperCollins, London 2022 ISBN 978-0008-471-74-3 | In this allegorical story Palestine and Israel are never named although the link is made in the acknowledgements by the author who has worked with young people in Palestine. There are clear analogies with the situation there – the division of society into Permitteds and Nons, the presence of a wall, the requirement of permits to travel and for residency, people being evicted from their homes. There are also cultural references to food and the environment and the significant presence of olive trees. While the situation in Palestine is in many ways unique – the allegorical approach enables identification with other places where people are divided. Now available in paperback. HarperCollins 2023. ISBN 978-0-00847-177-4. |
| Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands Sonia Nimr, translated by Marcia Lynx Qualey Interlink Books, USA 2021 ISBN 978-1623-718-66-4 | This YA novel won the 2014 Etisalat Award. It is an engaging historical fable, told by Qamar, whose name means Moon, as she travels across continents, finding adventure, friendship, fulfilment and tragedy along the way during a life in which an abiding love of books and stories is paramount. New edition with new cover: Interlink Books 2024. ISBN 978-1-62371-648-6. |
| The Thunderbird Trilogy Sonia Nimr, translated from Arabic by M. Lynx Qualey. The Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin, USA 2022 Book 1 ISBN 978-1477-325-81-0 | A time-travelling fantasy centred on a young Palestinian girl. Noor has a mission to travel back in time to prevent the barrier between the worlds of humans and the djinn from breaking down and causing chaos and destruction. The gateway to the past is in Jerusalem and Noor has a checkpoint to get through in the 21st century before she can access and learn about the past. Original Arabic edition published by Tamer Institute for Community Education, 2016. ISBN 978-9950-26-085-6. Book 2. ISBN 978-1-47732-693-0. Book 3. ISBN 978-1-47732-752-4. |
| The Shepherd’s Granddaughter Anne Laurel Carter Groundwood Books, Canada, 2008 ISBN 978-0-88899-903-0 | Amani has wanted to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and take over looking after her family’s flock of sheep since she was 6 years old. This coming-of-age novel describes how she does this amidst the surrounding context of the encroaching Israeli settlements and road-building on Palestinian land. Winner of the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children, the Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award and a Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book. |
| Habibi Naomi Shihab Nye Simon & Schuster, USA, 1999 ISBN 978-0-689-82523-1 | Liyana’s family move from the USA to her father’s homeland of Palestine. Like the author, Liyana has dual Palestinian/American heritage. She is very aware of her ‘nos-nos’ (half-half) status and, although it causes her some frustrations (especially the fact that she cannot speak Arabic when she first arrives in Palestine), in general she finds that this exposes her to new experiences. A relationship develops between Liyana and Omer, who is Jewish and their friendship allows issues surrounding the history and politics of the region to be raised. |
Poetry
| فكر بغيرك (Think of Others) Mahmoud Darwish, illustration by Sahar Abdallah Tanmia, Egypt, 2019 ISBN 978-977-85351-4-3 | Introduces young readers to a poem for adults written by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. Inseparable from Darwish’s lifelong struggle against the colonisation of the land, the poem deals with the universal theme of care and justice. Abdallah extends the poem with her symbolic and thought-provoking illustrations. The book won the Etisalat award for Arabic literature "best illustrations category 2018" for the first edition (2017) and was published in Italian by Lorusso Editore 2023. |
| Everything Comes Next. Collected & New Poems Naomi Shihab Nye, illustrated by Rafael López Greenwillow, New York 2022 ISBN 978-0063-013-46-9 | This collection of poems by a highly regarded Palestinian American poet includes many related to Palestine. Naomi Shihab Nye has also written fiction such as Habibi (Simon & Schuster USA ISBN 978-0689-825-23-1) and picture book texts such as Sitti’s Secrets, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (Aladdin ISBN 978-0689-817-06-9). |
Nonfiction
| هل تشعر بالدفء الآن في عينيك؟ (Do You Feel the Warmth in your Eyes Now?) Anas Abu Rahma, illustration by Loubna Taha Tamer Institute for Community Education, Palestine, 2022 ISBN 978-9950-27-063-3 | Do You Feel the Warmth in your Eyes Now? is part of a series of books presenting Palestinian art. This picture book is based on the life story of Palestinian artist Jumana El-Husseini who was born in Jerusalem and displaced to Beirut and later Paris. The text is multi-layered with the motifs of home, resistance through art, and finding hope. It engages the reader in a dialogue with Jumana as an artist and a character. Through direct questions, the book takes the readers into El-Husseini’s pictures and invites them to find her characteristic homes, birds, animals and finally the sun. |
| Tasting the Sky. A Palestinian Childhood Ibtisam Barakat Farrar, Straus & Giroux (Melanie Kroupa Books) USA 2007 ISBN 978-0374-357-33-7 | A memoir of the writer’s own childhood. She has also written a further volume: Balcony on the Moon. Coming of Age in Palestine (Square Fish 2018. ISBN 978-1-25014-429-4) which follows her through 1972-1981 and chronicles her desire to be a writer. Paperback edition (different cover): Square Fish 2016. ISBN 978-1-25009-718-7. |
Balcony on the Moon: Coming of Age in Palestine | From award-winning Palestinian author Ibtisam Barakat comes a touching account of coming of age against a backdrop of political turmoil in the Middle East. Picking up where Ibtisam Barakat's first memoir, Tasting the Sky, left off, Balcony on the Moon follows her through her childhood and adolescence in Palestine from 1972-1981 in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. This memoir about pursuing dreams in the face of adversity chronicles Ibitsam's desire to be a writer and shows how she finds inspiration through writing letters to pen pals and from an adult who encourages her to keep at it. But the most surprising turn of all for Ibtisam happens when her mother decides that she would like to seek out an education, too. Enlightening and at times funny, Balcony on the Moon is a not often depicted look at daily life in a politically tumultuous region. |
| We Are Palestinian. A Celebration of Culture and Tradition Reem Kassis and Noha Eilouti Studio Press, London 2023 ISBN 978-1800-783-28-7 | A wide-ranging celebration of the Palestinian people warmly described by a writer who loves her land and culture. The sadness of recent history is evident but here beauty and resilience are to the fore as many people including contemporary thinkers, artists, writers and musicians are introduced and topics including cuisine, cinema and caricature are explored, creating a desire in young readers to discover more. USA edition: Crocodile Books 2025. ISBN 978-1-62371-576-2. Dutch edition: Uitgeverij Wilde Haren 2025. ISBN 978-90-831763-9-0. |
| حروف فلسطين (The Letters of Palestine) Alaa Murtada Al-Balsam Publishing House, Egypt, 2025 ISBN 978-9776-17176-3 | This picture book comes in response to the genocide and the urgent need to preserve the Palestinian land, culture, identity, memory and beauty. Murtada does so by interweaving words and poetry with embroidery and art. The text is lyrical and reads like an acrostic poem. Each letter of the word Palestine in Arabic introduces a deeply rooted value such as resistance and is illustrated with an embroidery element taken from a specific Palestinian thobe (dress). These stitches and elements in turn represent Palestinian towns and villages, keeping them alive in memory even when completely destroyed and emptied out of their people. |
| Young Palestinians Speak. Living Under Occupation Anthony Robinson & Annemarie Young Interlink Books, USA 2025 ISBN 978-1623-716-42-4 | An updated edition of a book first published in 2017. The authors visited Palestine and interviewed many children and young people about their lives and their thoughts and feelings about being under occupation. The book begins with a detailed description of the history and current situation and what life under occupation means for Palestinians. They move on to different places and ask questions but primarily let the children speak for themselves. As Muath, a child in Ramallah, says: ‘We are just people trying to live here. Living in a prison, with no freedom of movement.’ |
| Sarha Tamer Institute for Community Education Tamer Institute, Palestine 2024 No ISBN | Dual language edition of the catalogue of the artistic and literary works produced by young people during the ‘Owning a Place’ project in the Al-Sweidi refugee camp area on the Egyptian-Palestinian border. |
| Tabkha: Recipes from under the Rubble Mona Zahed Slingshot Books, Australia, 2025 ISBN 978-0-64597-545-1 | Writing from her tent in Gaza, chef Mona Zahed shares twenty-two of her ancestral recipes, lovingly nurtured and recalled. Each dish is illustrated by a different artist, adding to the vibrancy of the book and the story of each recipe. Much more than a recipe book, this is a testament to resilience and creativity. Following the escalation of conflict in October 2023, Mona lost her catering business, her home, and her husband’s workplace to settler colonial violence. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go directly to the author and her community. |
From no.8 · Sally Samir: They Are Not Numbers
Explore Further
Multilingual List for Palestinian Resources for Children and Teens
Hadi Badi Books
https://hadibadi.org/2021/05/11/فلسطين-للأطفال-واليافعين/
Tamer Institute for Community Education
https://www.tamerinst.org/en/
Translate This: 10 Great Palestinian Books for Young Readers
Arab KidLit Now
https://arabkidlitnow.com/2021/05/14/translatethis-10-great-palestinian-books-for-young-readers/
Beyond the Secret Garden: Palestinian People in Children’s Books
By Darren Chetty and Karen Sands O’Connor. Books for Keeps, no. 267, July 2024.
https://booksforkeeps.co.uk/article/beyond-the-secret-garden-palestinian-people-in-childrens-books/
Takam Tikou
An online newsletter from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris) featuring books in French from and concerning the Arab World, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean.
https://takamtikou.bnf.fr
Teach Palestine: Children’s Books
https://teachpalestine.org/articles/childrens-books-palestine/
© 2025 Sally Samir