This authentic story with beautiful illustrations includes a glossary of Arabic words and a presentation of Arabic letters with their phonetic English equivalents. In the end, Kanzi’s most treasured reminder of her old home provides a pathway for acceptance in her new one. Next day her teacher sees the poem and gets the entire class excited about creating a “quilt” (a paper collage) of student names in Arabic. 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. Mama wears a hijab and calls her daughter Habibti (dear one). Maybe that’s why she forgets to take the kofta sandwich her mother has made for her lunch, but that backfires when Mama shows up at school with the sandwich. The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil and Anait Semirdzhyan 2021 ARAB AMERICAN CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD WINNER Children's Africana Book. The author includes a glossary of Arabic words with phonetics and their meaning in English.Kanzi’s family has moved from Egypt to America, and on her first day in a new school, what she wants more than anything is to fit in.

In response, the teacher writes the words algebra, coffee, lemon, and sugar on the board as an example to show the students how many languages share the same origin and that “knowing different languages will make the world a friendlier place.” The story ends with a powerful poem with a compelling message of taking pride in one’s mother tongue. “My mom says we should only speak English,” says Molly, one of the students. She loves swimming, poetry, and her Teita’s quilt. The story highlights the role of a supportive and creative teacher and the importance of instilling acceptance in children. The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil, Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan ISBN: 9780884487548 Kanzi moved with her family from Egypt to America. The next day her teacher sees the poem and gets the entire class excited about creating a quilt (a paper collage) of student names in Arabic.

When Kanzi’s classmates tease her about her native language, her teacher helps Kanzi and her classmates learn the value of being bilingual and the beauty of being different through a creative class project: a paper collage quilt with all the students’ names written on it in Arabic. 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. K-Gr 2–Kanzi, a young Egyptian immigrant, is nervous about looking different on the first day of her new school.

The arabic quilt