Well, our trip around the world in picture books is wrapping up with the countries of the Middle East! Here are the books on Palestine and Israel that we read to learn about the history of the region. We did this the week after spending a week reading about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
One of my main goals in studying other countries and cultures through picture books is for my kids to hear people’s stories from different points of view. Through this, they can begin to develop empathy and appreciate differences in cultures and religions.
Chapter Books on Palestine and Israel
The Lemon Tree
My 12-year olds and I are reading through this Young Reader’s Version of The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East. I am really appreciating the varying points of view presented. The maps at the beginning are particularly good.
We are Palestinian
This book has seven sections: Geography, Cultural Symbols, Creative Minds, Agriculture, Cuisine, Performing Arts, and History and Religion. The cultural sections and biographies are very interesting. I wanted to dive into the History and Religion section with my kids. I took 5 days to read the pages aloud from that section, and I paired the readings with some of the picture books.
Picture Books on Palestine and Israel
The Golden City: Jerusalem’s 3,000 Years
This book summarized all the history we have been reading since we restarted our history cycle 10 months ago with Ancient History. It begins with Moses and takes us through history: King David, Babylon, Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire when the region is named “Palestine.” At the end, the wars in 1948 and 1967 are briefly mentioned. We spent 6 days reading this book, just a few pages each day.
Hanukkah
The Maccabean Revolt (167-160 BC) was only briefly covered in our history studies, so we dug into it a bit more with these stories. The open book in the photo is from The Golden City to give you an idea of the amount of text and types of illustrations.
Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam
I read this picture book along with the pages “Ancient History” from We are Palestinian. We have read this story as a Jewish folktale, Brothers. The author states the folktale has both Jewish and Arab origins. She retells the folktale as a neighborly friendship between a Jewish woman and a Muslim woman.
Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine
The author’s family lived in West Jerusalem until May 15, 1948 when the nation of Israel was formed. This day is called Al-Nakba, meaning “catastrophe,” by Palestinians. This book describes the delightful memories of the Old City of Jerusalem told to the author by her father. The book contains a glossary, author’s note, and photographs.
We read this picture book with the pages “Al Nakba” from We are Palestinian.
These Olive Trees: A Palestinian Family’s Story
This picture book is told from the point of view of a child in a refugee camp near Nablus, Palestine. Displaced by Al Nakba, she has grown up here with the olive trees, learning to care for, harvest, and process them. War comes again in 1967 and they must move again. The Palestinians call this day Al Naksa, or “setback.” This book is also autobiographical and features the author’s grandmother from when she was a girl.
Along with reading this picture book and the pages “Al Naksa” from We are Palestinian, we learned about the 6-Day War of 1967 with a video.
Videos
Palestine and Israel
What a complicated history with multiple points of view to consider. Know any more great picture books on Palestine and Israel? Please drop them in the comments below!