Children's Book Suggestions | Middle Eastern & North African Picture Books

Celebrate Middle Eastern & North African Heritage Month with these picture books featured in the monthly scavenger hunt! (For older readers, we have a Middle Eastern & North African Heritage Month list.)

Updated March 9, 2024
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Mama Shamsi at the bazaar
Hassani, Mojdeh
Paper Book
It's market day for Samira and her grandma! The bazaar is crowded, but this sweet pair knows how to stick together in this silly picture book set in Iran. Mama Shamsi is off to the market, and today, Samira gets to go with her! Samira loves spending time with her grandmother, and...
Malala's magic pencil
Yousafzai, Malala
Paper Book
Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Malala Yousafzai's first picture book, inspired by her own childhood. Malala's first picture book will inspire young readers everywhere to find the magic all around them. As a child in Pakistan, Malala...
Saffron ice cream
Kheiriyeh, Rashin
Paper Book
A joyous celebration of a girl's first family outing in a new country"With her colorful, exuberant folk-art illustrations and upbeat, friendly tone, Rashin makes a daunting cross-cultural leap seem as easy as a summer breeze." -- New York Times Book ReviewRashin is excited about her...
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors
Khan, Hena
Paper Book
With breathtaking illustrations and informative text, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns magnificently captures the world of Islam, celebrating its beauty and traditions for even the youngest readers. Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, this entrancing...
Room for everyone
Khan, Naaz
Paper Book
A young boy on a crowded bus discovers that, after some wiggles and giggles, there's room for everyone in this lighthearted rhyming picture book set in Zanzibar. The dala dala rumbles and roars as Musa and Dada drive off to the shore--but the bus stops for multiple detours: "Do...
Big red lollipop
Khan, Rukhsana
Paper Book
Rubina has been invited to her first birthday party, and her mother, Ami, insists that she bring her little sister along. Rubina is mortified, but she can't convince Ami that you just don't bring your younger sister to your friend's party. So both girls go, and not only does Sana demand to win every...
The proudest blue : a story of hijab and family
Muhammad, Ibtihaj
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!   A powerful, vibrantly illustrated story about the first day of school--and two sisters on one's first day of hijab--by Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad.   With...
Salma the Syrian chef
Ramadan, Ahmad Danny.
Paper Book
Newcomer Salma and friends cook up a heartwarming dish to cheer up Mama. All Salma wants is to make her mama smile again. Between English classes, job interviews, and missing Papa back in Syria, Mama always seems busy or sad. A homemade Syrian meal might cheer her up, but Salma doesn't...
My name is Bana
Alabed, Bana
Paper Book
A poignant picture book memoir from Bana Alabed, the seven-year-old Syrian girl from Aleppo whose messages to the world have turned her into a global symbol and advocate for refugee rights. "I just want to live without fear." --Bana Alabed, Twitter, October 12, 2016 ...
Nour's secret library
Tarnowska, Wafa'
Paper Book
★ "A beautiful and poignant coming-of-age book . . . Based on the author's and illustrator's personal experiences, this unique war story is full of hope and resilience that shines through even the worst of situations" - School Library Journal, starred review ...
Cleopatra tells all!
Naunton, Chris
Paper Book
Cleopatra tells her version of events as the ruler of the last ancient Egyptian dynasty. In this hilarious and revealing tell-all, the politically savvy, multilingual, cosmopolitan ruler of Alexandria, Cleopatra, reveals herself to be the world's first influencer. Finally able...
Too small Tola
Atinuke
Paper Book
Three delightful tales from a renowned Nigerian storyteller introduce a chapter-book heroine who is every bit as mighty as she is small. In a trio of droll stories, award-winning author and storyteller Atinuke debuts an endearing and enduring character with plenty to prove. Tola...

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