Review Detail

The pink, green, gold, and white illustrations also depict a range of complexions and hairstyles the show the differences in Arab backgrounds. Different clothing, like the keffiyeh, and practices, such as henna parties, get brief mentions as the calendar months turn. There are a variety of different foods, such as stuffed grape leaves, pomegranates, and maamoul that almost beg for recipes to be included.

Notes and a glossary at the back offer some more background description of phrases, items, and historical occurrences that some readers might not know, which is a bit help. Camper's authors note at the end addresses the fact that there is no universal definition of who is Arab, but indicates that families coming from the Middle East of northern Africa might have this background, although not all do. The Arab League, and its list of countries that are members, is mentioned, which is also helpful.

Khan's Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes is a good introduction to Muslim culture, but I haven't seen a book like this that is a good overview of Arab culture. It's a good addition to picture books like Saleh's The Great Labne Trade or Tamaddon's My Maman that highlight a variety of backgrounds that children in the US might not have experienced, or for children with similar backgrounds who want to see their lives reflected in a book.