SWANA & Arab American Books for Kids

There is joy in seeing yourself reflected in books and there is knowledge in reading other’s stories. This list is a selection of books featuring characters and cultures of Arab and other South West Asian & North African American communities.

Updated June 25, 2026
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Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Buffalo and Erie County Public Library
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SWANA & Arab American Books for Kids

There is joy in seeing yourself reflected in books and there is knowledge in reading other’s stories. This list is a selection of books featuring characters and cultures of Arab and other South West Asian & North African American communities.

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The book that almost rhymed
Abed, Omar
Paper Book
Every great adventure needs a hero-or two! This playful take on storytelling and equity proves that two tellers can make a rhyming tale twice as nice. What do you do with an interrupting sibling? Especially when she's stepping all over your story with wild ideas that don't...
Arab Arab all year long!
Camper, Cathy
Paper Book
Celebrate the beauty and diversity of life in the Arab diaspora throughout the year. Yallah! From January to December, join some busy kids as they partake in traditions old and new. There's so much to do, whether it's learning to write Arabic or looking at hijab fashion sites...
Farah rocks fifth grade
Darraj, Susan Muaddi
Paper Book
Farah and her best friend, Allie Liu, are getting excited to turn in their applications to the Magnet Academy, where they both hope to attend sixth grade. But when new girl Dana Denver shows up, Farah's world is turned upside down. As Dana starts bullying Farah's little brother, Samir, Farah begins...
Farah rocks summer break
Darraj, Susan Muaddi
Paper Book
It's summer break, and Farah is eager to attend an enrichment camp at her new school. But with car trouble and other family expenses, Farah's parents won't be able to pay for the camp this year. Taking matters into her own hands, Farah takes various odd jobs, including selling items at a yard sale,...
It ain't so awful, falafel
Dumas, Firoozeh
Paper Book
Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block . . . for the fourth time. California's Newport Beach is her family's latest perch, and she's determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name--Cindy. It's the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes...
The night before Eid : a Muslim family story
Khalil, Aya
Paper Book
★ "A beautiful story of joy, tradition, and family."―Kirkus Reviews, starred review Celebrate the end of Ramadan with this luminous Muslim family story about faith, history, and delicious foods. On the night...
Where butterflies fill the sky : a story of immigration, family, and finding home
Marwan, Zahra
Paper Book
A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book One of NPR's Best Books of 2022 Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Informational Books for Younger Readers of 2022 A School Library Journal Best Book of 2022 ...
Hope is an arrow : the story of Lebanese American poet Kahlil Gibran
McCarthy, Cory
Paper Book
A lyrical biography of Kahlil Gibran by award-winning writer Cory McCarthy, with glorious illustrations by Caldecott Honoree and two-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner Ekua Holmes. Before Kahlil Gibran became the world's third-best-selling poet of all time, he was...
Homeland : my father dreams of Palestine
Moushabeck, Hannah
Paper Book
A father and his daughters may not be able to return home . . . but they can celebrate stories of their homeland! As bedtime approaches, three young girls eagerly await the return of their father who tells them stories of a faraway homeland--Palestine....
Egyptian lullaby
Pliska, Zeena M.
Paper Book
A rich, beautifully layered ode to the great city of Cairo, Egypt, its people, and culture. Every night, my Ametti Fatma sings the sounds of Egypt to me as I fall asleep. This is the Nile, that flows through the city. ...
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https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/2262.4555/list/8098

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