(2) K-3 Illustrated by Vali Mintzi. Osnat Barzani (1590–1670) convinced her father, a rabbi, to teach her to read Hebrew, unusual as that was for a girl at the time, and her curious mind embraced Jewish learning. In lyrical prose ("Osnat loved the shapes of the Hebrew letters. One looked like a mysterious animal, and another, a creeping vine"), Samuel spins the story of a woman who studied Torah throughout her marriage and took over her husband's yeshiva after his death. She incorporates the miraculous powers that some legends grant Barzani, mainly via a dove that she heals and that helps save the synagogue after a fire. Mintzi's striking, mostly full-bleed illustrations (often luminous "gouache colors in layers") show Osnat in the beautiful, sometimes dreamlike city of Mosul (in what is now Iraq). An author's note gives background on the legends Samuel used to inspire her account of the woman whose writings don't all survive, but who is "remembered locally as the first female rabbi and the first female Kurdish Jewish leader."

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(3) 4-6 This tough but important read follows thirteen-year-old Ghalib as his family flees civil war–ravaged Syria in hopes of reaching the (relative) safety of Europe. They experience heart-stopping danger at border crossings, grim refugee camps, separation, and finally a harrowing boat ride to Greece. Appended with an author's note, discussion guide, and a list of the deceased Syrian children for whom characters were named. Glos.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 First Peoples series. Historically, Bedouins were nomadic Arab desert dwellers; the Kurds were early inhabitants of parts of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Each of these series books gives a cursory introduction to one of these ethnic groups, discussing culture, traditions, history, and life today. The sketchy text is enhanced with color photographs and sidebars in a busy design. A list of additional resources, including websites, is appended. Glos., ind. [Review covers these First Peoples titles: The Kurds of Asia and The Bedouin of the Middle East.]

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg