The Arabic Quilt

By Aya Khalil, Anait Semirdzhyan (illustrator),

Book cover of The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story

Book description

That night, Kanzi wraps herself in the beautiful Arabic quilt her teita (grandma) in Cairo gave her and writes a poem in Arabic about the quilt. Next day her teacher sees the poem and gets the entire class excited about creating a "quilt" (a paper collage) of student names in…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked The Arabic Quilt as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

There are lots of excellent contemporary picture books about children from other countries adjusting to life in the United States. What sets this book apart for me is that, rather than just sprinkling in some words in the family’s native tongue, it specifically talks about languages and bilingualism. The writing is a little on-the-nose in spots (children say things like “I didn’t realize how important a different language is” and “Aren’t languages a beautiful thing? They can truly unite us!”), but it’s a likable story with charming illustrations. My favorite part is at the end, when the Arabic quilt inspires…

From Mara's list on picture books about languages.

Want books like The Arabic Quilt?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Arabic Quilt.

Browse books like The Arabic Quilt

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in immigrants, New York State, and refugees?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about immigrants, New York State, and refugees.

Immigrants Explore 159 books about immigrants
New York State Explore 706 books about New York State
Refugees Explore 134 books about refugees