Winner of: 2014 Arab American Book Award, Children/Young Adult
Category Many Americans, educators included, mistakenly believe all
Arabs share the same culture, language, and religion, and have only
recently begun immigrating to the United States. A Kid's Guide to Arab
American History dispels these and other stereotypes and provides a
contemporary as well as historical look at the people and experiences
that have shaped Arab American culture. Each chapter focuses on a
different group of Arab Americans including those of Lebanese, Syrian,
Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Iraqi, and Yemeni descent and features
more than 50 fun activities that highlight their distinct arts, games,
clothing, and food. Kids will love dancing the dabke, constructing a
derbekke drum, playing a game of senet, making hummus, creating an
arabesque design, and crafting an Egyptian-style cuff bracelet. Along
the way they will learn to count in Kurdish, pick up a few Syrian words
for family members, learn a Yemeni saying, and speak a little Iraqi.
Short biographies of notable Arab Americans, including actor and
philanthropist Danny Thomas, singer Paula Abdul, artist Helen Zughaib,
and activist Ralph Nader, demonstrate a wide variety of careers and
contributions.