(3) K-3 Sido (grandfather) tells Salam, a young Palestinian girl, that olive trees are strong and resilient with “roots that run deep in this land.” He explains that olive trees connect everyone, from the farmer who presses the oil, to the bakery where the oil fires up the ovens, to olive sellers, to those who feast on them. An excited Salam plants an olive seed with dreams of strengthening these connections. She tends to her seed every day until it sprouts and grows into a young tree. Her happiness is cut short, however, when “soldiers forcefully march into our land,” crushing her tree and destroying everything in their path. Sido comforts Salam by saying she will grow more trees in time. Overnight, Sido mobilizes the community so that when Salam awakes, she finds her friends and family gathered amid a newly planted olive grove. Elbayya’s spare text and simple line drawings in a muted palette of greens and browns are powerful and effective. Salam (which means peace) serves as a stand-in for the resilience and unbroken spirit of the Palestinian people. The hopeful story underlines lessons of resistance and the coming together of community in the face of destruction.

Reviewer: Sadaf Siddique

(2) K-3 Translated by Lawrence Schimel. Originally conceived for a project produced by the Palestinian Museum and inspired by the traditional embroidery of Palestinian culture, this Argentinian import honors unseen worlds. The mixed-media art relies primarily on highly textured and detailed embroidery to tell the tale of a girl whose mother scolds her for losing things, such as her keys. Leilah, like her grandmother, is sensitive to the dreamlike existence of the "Other Side and its mysterious inhabitants." Isol depicts this as a world embroidered in red thread, and superimposed upon it in blue threads are the creatures that live there; delightfully, she also depicts the back sides of these embroidered cloths to emphasize the "much stranger" other world "just behind ours." She renders the startling, eye-catching forest with black threads, for example. Leilah knows that the holes that lead to the Other Side, including one in the forest, are responsible for her lost items, so she sews up the holes with a needle and thread -- which leads to unexpected consequences. Isol tells the story in four parts and an epilogue, the last introducing the otherworldly Lexis and Rolf, who find a surprising use for the lost keys. A richly imagined tale told with loving care.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) YA In this Romeo and Juliet–inspired verse novel set in present-day Israel, teenagers Ronit (an Israeli girl) and Jamil (a Palestinian boy) meet while accompanying their fathers (a Jewish pharmacist and Muslim doctor, respectively) to an East Jerusalem clinic. First-person poems in various forms convey characters' curiosity, confusion, and desires; the protagonists have strikingly similar voices, requiring close reading. Supplementary information offers context.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jemima Maybank. An informative and sometimes irreverent look at life and religion in the years when Jesus lived. Two-page spreads describe details about housing, clothing, transportation, work, religious practices, and punishment (multiple forms of crosses used in crucifixion are shown). While the print is small, the many illustrations, maps, diagrams, and charts should keep readers engaged. The absence of references and an index is unfortunate.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA The authors visited schools and community centers, interviewing young Palestinians about their lives under Israeli occupation. Children, teens, and twenty-somethings speak candidly about daily life; interests; and difficulties of living with checkpoints, security walls, and poor living conditions. Some context about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is provided, but this book concentrates on the Palestinian point of view. Small color photographs appear throughout. Reading list, timeline, websites.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Avi Ofer. Anticipation builds as young Uri and his grandmother travel through Tel Aviv to the first concert of what would become the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in December 1936. Back matter explains how, in response to the Nazis expelling Jews from orchestras, violinist Bronislaw Huberman brought seventy European Jewish musicians to perform. Loose illustrations, full of energy and movement, capture the bustle of this vibrant city and occasion.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) YA In this follow-up to Tasting the Sky, Barakat leads readers through her adolescent years in the West Bank. Although Israeli-Palestinian relations form an inescapable part of life in Ramallah, Barakat presents war from a young person's perspective, focusing on concrete details rather than the larger political conflict. The present-tense narration is jarring at first but allows for vivid, immediate prose. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(4) 4-6 In this fable-esque narrative, a spoiled American bully is reincarnated as a cat in the West Bank where she witnesses a conflict that unfolds when two Israeli soldiers occupy a presumed-empty Palestinian house in which a little boy hides. Flashbacks to the cat's human life distract from the compelling, provocative central plot. The thoughtful exploration of an untenable situation provides ample discussion fodder.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Shahar Kober. When Engineer Ari's train breaks down, he ends up in Modi'in ("The ancient home of the Maccabees...Where the miracle of Hanukkah began"). There he celebrates Hanukkah with Kalil, a Bedouin who offers to help. The text, while wordy, provides a fresh take on the story. Illustrations emphasize the lush greenery of a Middle Eastern winter. An author's note is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 Hayaat's Muslim family lives in a small apartment in Israeli-occupied Bethlehem. When her grandmother, Sitti Zeynab, falls ill, Hayaat embarks on a mission to bring back a jar of earth from her homeland. The long journey to Jerusalem through numerous checkpoints is vividly depicted, along with the trials of occupation and the extreme fortitude of the people living under it.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2011

(3) 4-6 Photographs by Cindy Karp. The text describes Summer Peace Camp in Israel, which allows Palestinian and Israeli children to share typical camping experiences; the counselors hope to promote understanding and bring the two groups closer together. Readers also visit with an Israeli boy and a Palestinian girl and their families. The culturally detailed text is accompanied by vivid photographs of campers just being kids. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) YA Amani wants nothing more than to carry on her grandfather's legacy and become a shepherd. However, a new Jewish settlement is threatening her family's entire way of life. She must reconcile peaceful protest and violence, the past and the future, and pride and friendship. A welcome addition to the subject of Israeli-Palestinian relations from a Palestinian character's point of view. Glos.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) YA Creation of the Modern Middle East series. These books (Iraq and Palestinian have been revised and updated) are straightforward histories of Middle Eastern countries (though the area's volatility makes the series immediately out of date). The texts are dry, but they do an adequate job of providing background. Useful maps delineate the region's geography, and the many photographs add interest. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Creation of the Modern Middle East titles: United Arab Emirates, The Palestinian National Authority, and Iraq.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA Barakat tells about her girlhood in Palestine. Most of the book takes place during 1967's Six-Day War and its aftermath, when her family members, having fled Ramallah for Jordan, find themselves living as refugees. Reading and writing help sustain Barakat through the uncertainty of everyday life. The author relates her idiosyncratic collection of memories in vivid, poetic prose. Reading list.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) YA Making of the Middle East series. This series presents the history and culture of the complex, influential Middle East region, from the early twentieth century to today. Maps and photographs (some gruesome) expand the dry, straightforward texts, which provide clear accountings of events, places, and political and religious figures. There are five other fall 2007 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Making of the Middle East titles: The First World War and the End of the Ottoman Order, The Palestine Mandate and the Creation of Israel, 1920–1949, The Middle East in the Age of Uncertainty, 1991–Present, The Cold War in the Middle East, 1950–1991, and The Rise of Nationalism.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(2) YA After his older brother dies in combat, Edward, a sixteen-year-old Saskatchewan farm boy, lies about his age and enlists. He sees action in Palestine; it's here that the horrors of the Great War are most graphically described. Slade puts an original spin on the experience of a young man going to war.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006

(2) 4-6 Using a question-and-answer format, Frank organizes topics first by presenting an overview of the conflict and then, chronologically, moving from the birth of Judaism through the unification of the Arabs to modern events, concluding in the spring of 2004. The dense, dispassionate narrative reduces the volatility of the subject, and equal time is given to both points of view. Maps, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2005

(4) YA A & E Biography series. While Hussein, Arafat, and bin Laden attempt to provide unbiased biographies of controversial figures, Powell is an adulatory look at the Secretary of State. The books cover childhood and early influences but do not go into much detail about the current "war on terrorism." Some of the photos aren't relevant to the text. Reading list. Bib., ind. [Review covers these A & E Biography titles: Saddam Hussein, Colin Powell, Yasser Arafat, and Osama bin Laden.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) YA Fourteen-year-old Netta Hofman is shocked and heartbroken when her older brother disappears without a trace. Because the Hofmans are recent Israeli immigrants to America, Netta fears that Adam may have been the victim of Palestinian terrorists. Though the prose is superficial and the themes unsubtle, the novel contains solid characterizations of teenagers who come to question their own prejudices.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Passport to History series. With a contemporary tourist-guide tone, these books on ancient civilizations are generally amusing and informative. Accompanying sometimes humorous boxed trivia are cartoon figures dressed in ancient garb and wearing sunglasses, which detract from the useful photos of artifacts. Pronunciation guide, reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Passport to History titles: Your Travel Guide to Ancient Rome and Your Travel Guide to Ancient Israel.]

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt