Tag Archives: geography

Review: We Are Palestinian by Reem Kassis and Noha Eilouti

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,
We Are Palestinian: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition by Reem Kassis

We Are Palestinian: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition
Reem Kassis
Illustrated by Noha Eilouti
Crocodile Books
Published September 19, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About We Are Palestinian: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition

A stunning non-fiction children’s book celebrating everything Palestinian!

From culture and food, to music and literature, We Are Palestinian is a celebration of Palestinian heritage. Brought to life by award-winning writer Reem Kassis, every spread is filled with wonderful anecdotes, fascinating facts, and memorable quotes. It is beautifully illustrated by Noha Eilouti, an emerging Palestinian-Canadian illustrator.

Discover ALL about the history of iconic Palestinian symbols like tatreez embroidery, or the inspiration behind Mahmoud Darwish’s poetry. As you turn every page, you’ll find yourself lost in the world of Dabke (the folk dance of Palestine) and amazed by its famous old cities; you’ll try traditional food like knafeh, explore the different religions, and find out much more. Each spread of We Are Palestinian is accessible, richly inspiring, and visually stunning.

Young readers are going to love discovering more about Palestine. This is the perfect book for parents, educators, and caregivers wishing to explore new worlds of culture and custom with children!

My Review

This is such a cool book. Because of what’s happening in that part of the world, Palestine is in the news so much right now. I love that there’s a celebratory, informative book that kids can read so they have a better understanding of who Palestinian people are and what their lives look like.

I remember just reaching the age when I paid more attention to the news and wanting to know more about the places that reporters were talking about. It’s great that we have resources that allow us to celebrate the rich culture and history of Palestinians without asking kids to weigh in on complex political issues.

The book covers a range of topics, from exploring significant cities in the area to cultural symbols like dress, the flag, and national anthem to celebrated artists, writers, athletes, and entertainers. Because I’m Italian and speak the language of the love of food, I also really enjoyed the parts of the book that focus on the different kinds of food that Palestinians eat. Yum! (Side note: the author also wrote a cookbook of Palestinian food. I am definitely going to check it out.)

I learned a lot from reading this book. As you read, the author might use a word like the name of a dish and a parenthetical reference beside it will note where you can read more about that food. I think it would have strengthened the comprehension if the book included a vocabulary section in the back. Sometimes I felt like the definitions within the text were a little vague.

On the whole, though, I think this is a great book and very timely.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 up.

Representation
As you can guess from the title, the book focuses on the life experiences of Palestinians. One section highlights famous Palestinian people from artists to activists to athletes.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to clothing worn for weddings.

Spiritual Content
References Islam, Christianity, and Judaism and discusses how and why certain cities are important to members of all three faiths.

Violent Content
Brief reference to warfare in the region and the lives of Palestinians as refugees.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of WE ARE PALESTINIAN in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: The Adventures of Mo by Carol Patton

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

The Adventures of Mo
Carol Patton
November 20, 2022

Amazon | Goodreads | Author’s Website (free download)

About The Adventures of Mo

The Adventures of Mo is about an American Eskimo dog named Mo and a bird named Finchy that travel to each US state searching for the owner of a lost key who lives in Florida. But where is Florida? Each chapter reflects an adventure in a different state, touches upon state geography/history, and introduces cardinal directions. Readers guess which state the main characters are visiting based on clues in each chapter.

This is a do-good project. While anyone can download the chapters for FREE on our website, small donations ($1-$2) are requested. The version available on Amazon includes a supplement that is not available on our website. Half of all net proceeds are donated to animal charities and children’s literacy programs nationwide, while the remaining half sustains the series.

My Review

I like the concept of this book. Introducing kids to US geography in a silly, fun adventure between a bird and a dog is a cool idea.

While I like that the goal is for readers to guess which state Mo and Finchy are in using clues from the text, I found myself wishing each chapter had a recap at the end. A recap could highlight the geographical references and show a simple map of the state with Mo and Fincy’s route. An alternative might be to include back matter with a summary of geographical information for each chapter and a large map showing Mo and Finchy’s route from start to finish.

Most characters in the book are animals, but a few humans are included in the story. One is Jason, a man who is blind and uses a service dog. There’s also the truck driver, Alex. In a couple of scenes, the story explores the history of indigenous people in the different states where Mo and Finchy are. I don’t have the expertise to evaluate the representation, but a couple of things left me a little uncomfortable. In one scene, Mo and Finchy meet the god of wind, Gaol, who tells them to call him Jay, since his name is “too hard to pronounce.” Other character names were accompanied by phonetic pronunciation guides, so I thought it was a little odd that this one wasn’t.

The historical references in the book are pretty sanitized, probably for the book’s younger audiences. There were a couple of things I felt would have been better with a little added context or perhaps left out. One other historical note: slavery and the Civil War are not mentioned at all in the book.

Conclusion

On the whole, I think the concept here is very cute. The narrative is often playful and silly and includes nearly fantastical elements, such as Mo dressing up as a human so he can get into places where animals aren’t allowed. I think young readers would get a big kick out of the main characters, even if they aren’t familiar with the geographical hints placed throughout. The episodic chapters make it easy to read the book in chunks– a must since the whole thing is almost 500 pages.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 6 to 10.

Representation
Mo and Finchy meet an armadillo who speaks Spanish. Some images show Indigenous people in what are supposed to be ceremonial clothes. They also meet a service dog who helps a blind man.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mo develops a crush on another dog named Maggie.

Spiritual Content
Mo and Finchy briefly meet the Iroquois god of wind, Gaol. They also encounter beings called the Voices, which come from the moon and travel the galaxy, a family of Sasquatch, and a Lochness monster.

Violent Content
Mo and some other animals intervene when two girls bully another girl.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE ADVENTURES OF MO in exchange for my honest review.