Review: The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story
Khalil, Aya. The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story. Illus. by Anait Semirdzhyan. 2020. 36p. Tilbury House, $17.95. (9780884487548). K-Gr 3.
Egyptian American Kanzi and her family have just moved to a new town where Kanzi will be starting third grade. Her Baba tells her he’s packed her favorite kofta sandwich for lunch, but Kanzi secretly wishes he had made peanut butter and jelly, because she doesn’t want to be “different.” When Kanzi forgets her lunch, her Mama brings it to school and speaks to her in Arabic, calling her “habibti.” Molly, one of Kanzi’s classmates, overhears and mocks both of them while another classmate laughs along. When Mrs. Haugen, Kanzi’s teacher, discovers her new student in tears, she tells Kanzi that “being bilingual is beautiful” and that she shouldn’t let anyone make her feel ashamed. Mrs. Haugen’s response models and reinforces the importance of educators recognizing and affirming student identity. Despite this positive message, Kanzi is still anxious about fitting in, and asks her mother to pack her a turkey sandwich for lunch the next day, rather than the leftover shurbet ‘ads.
That evening, wrapped in her Teita’s quilt, Kanzi writes a poem that inspires a classroom quilt project, with her teacher, Mrs. Haugen facilitating a discussion of English words that come from Arabic, language appreciation, and acceptance. Kanzi and her mother write student names in Arabic to add to a classroom quilt, and Kanzi finds pride and love in the languages she speaks.
Khalil’s words include intentional and specific details that convey Egyptian culture, from food to music. Mrs. Haugen’s language lesson validates Kanzi’s own background knowledge of Arabic and fosters a heartwarming pride. Particularly moving is a text where Kanzi watches her mother in class and thinks “how beautiful she looks.” In one of the last spreads, Kanzi sees another quilt across the hall, and meets Kura, who helped her classmates write their names in Japanese (Katakana). In the final scene, Kanzi writes a poem for her parents, thanking them for always encouraging her to be proud of speaking a different language.
Muted, gentle illustrations and Semirdzhyan’s use of white space centers the focus on Kanzi, the students, and her family. Small details such as patterns on dishes, a tablecloth, and Kanzi’s father’s vest, and the newspaper (in Arabic) he is reading on Egyptian News, richly convey elements of Egyptian culture. Teita’s quilt itself is colorful and bright and depicts feluccas on the Nile and there is a photograph of Teita sewing the quilt. The family also has photos of protestors and a tennis player that appears to be Serena Williams in their home. Kanzi’s father appears to be a Black Arab Egyptian, while her mother is light-skinned, Kanzi and her brother Zacharia also have brown skin. A glossary of Egyptian Arabic terms is included.
This review was originally published in 
Malaika’s Surprise (The Malaika Series, 3) by Nadia L. Hohn