This book is so precious and has a lovely storyline with little parts of Palestinian culture, history and spirit scattered throughout. My 8 yo daughter enjoyed it very much and I felt emotional reading it to her. A must have.

This book is a beautiful story filled with Palestinian cultural traditions and the moral of giving to those less fortunate.⠀
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Maha’s grandmother comes into town and arrives at the airport in a beautiful Palestinian gown. I love that she is so proud of her culture and teaches the kids so much about pride in their identity. ⠀
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They pass by a soup kitchen on their way home and see the long line of hungry people. At home, Teta makes too much bread with meat on it, (Arab grandmothers often overcook-it was a funny and relatable moment). Maha and Sami, with their Teta, head to the soup kitchen to pass out the extra food, and everyone is very impressed with Teta’s cooking (another fun Arab trait- all Tetas cook super yummy food!)⠀
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Maha and Sami’s sibling rivalry is hilarious, and the way they bicker reminds me of how me and my siblings used to bicker and how my kids lovingly (and sometimes frustratingly) bicker too.⠀
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The story talks about how Maha wants to become a famous cook and how her grandmother gives her the family secret recipe box, and includes certain elements of their family history.
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I do love the sweet family love and Palestinian heritage present in the book, as well as the morals of generosity and sharing.

So much Palestinian culture infused into this book that my toddler and I love it. I think it is a great place to start a conversation on so many topics.

1. Palestine.
2. Food banks
3. Sharing / "breaking bread" with others
4. Community
5. Sibling rivalry ;)
6. ... so much more .

It’s such a wonderful thing to find a book our kids can see themselves in! My daughter loves this story and we enjoy reading it together

This is a wonderful book about family, heritage, and learning from past experiences of the elders to create new traditions in a new place.

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Maha is excited to have her grandmother move in with her family from overseas. She is eager to learn all about Palestinian cooking from the hands of her grandmother. Her Teta shares this special box that hold traditional recipes along with sentimental items from her childhood and youth. Maha discovers cultural and family tradition, sense of community and generosity that she never knew before.

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Although this book does not directly reference any Islamic lessons, it was definitely a cultural enlightenment for us. The last page includes Arabic words and their definition that relate to the story. This lovely story would be a great addition to any bookshelf looking to make their kids' book collection diverse.