Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine
by Hannah Moushabeck (Author) Reem Madooh (Illustrator)
A father and his daughters may not be able to return home . . . but they can celebrate stories of their homeland!
As bedtime approaches, three young girls eagerly await the return of their father who tells them stories of a faraway homeland--Palestine. Through their father's memories, the Old City of Jerusalem comes to life: the sounds of juice vendors beating rhythms with brass cups, the smell of argileh drifting through windows, and the sight of doves flapping their wings toward home. These daughters of the diaspora feel love for a place they have never been, a home they cannot visit. But, as their father's story comes to an end, they know that through his memories, they will always return.
A Palestinian family celebrates the stories of their homeland in this moving autobiographical picture book debut by Hannah Moushabeck. With heartfelt illustrations by Reem Madooh, this story is a love letter to home, to family, and to the persisting hope of people that transcends borders.
UNIVERSAL MESSAGE: There are so many people who long to return to their homelands but are unable to. This story will resonate with immigrant families and refugees of all ethnicities and origins, as well as anyone who yearns for home.
INTERGENERATIONAL STORIES: This sweet father-daughter story celebrates the bedtime ritual of storytelling, promoting intergenerational sharing and modeling learning about family trees and family histories. A perfect read-aloud for Father's Day!
PRAISE:
"Hannah Moushabeck has written a marvelous, utterly transporting story describing the gentle power of precious transmitted memory and the wistfulness of immigrants, particularly those in exile from an occupied or altered place. Homeland does what decades of sad news stories have repeatedly failed to do for Palestine--humanize a beautiful people and place. I wish my father were alive so I could give him this book."--Naomi Shihab Nye, award-winning author of Habibi and Sitti's Secrets
"Like many picture books about immigration, Homeland creates a tapestry of both love and loss reinvented in a story by a granddaughter. This one, in particular, rings with truth while the drum's heartbeat holds a family and its history together."--Jane Yolen, author of Owl Moon, Eeny Up Above, and others
"Homeland brings a rich, beautiful, intimate picture of Palestine to life that is rarely seen in American media. The details are absolutely delectable, and the storytelling is playful, yet deeply moving perfection." --Phoebe Wahl, author, and illustrator of Little Witch Hazel
Perfect for:
- Anyone looking for Palestinian or Arab books for kids
- Readers seeking immigrant or refugee stories or diverse picture books
- Father's Day gift giving to dads, grandparents, uncles, and friends with a heartfelt connection to their homelands
- Readers with a passion for memoirs and stories that illustrate the immigrant experience
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Publishers Weekly
Moushabeck makes her picture book debut with a quietly moving intergenerational reminiscence of a family's homeland, a place the narrator has "never been." The story opens on three sisters of Palestinian descent who treasure their father's bedtime stories of visiting his grandparents in the Old City of Jerusalem. His sensate accounts--accompanied by crisp, distilled digital illustrations from Madooh, also making her debut--bring to life the city's sights and sounds. He tells of beloved relatives (his sido, "a stern-looking, tarboosh-wearing, argileh-puffing, mustachioed man"), a drumming juice vendor who "played beautiful, intricate rhythms, using brass cups and saucers," the buzz of the family's café, and the homing pigeons Sido cares for, who instinctively understand "this is their home." The final scene returns to the present, showing the girls' family in a relaxed, happy mealtime preparation. But just outside the kitchen sits a key to the family's ancestral East Jerusalem home; it's an ever-present reminder both that "the ending of this story is not a happy one" and of their "hope of return." Though the vividly rendered lines don't contextualize the history behind the telling, the title's emotionally layered conclusion offers a strong jumping-off point for further discussion. Back matter includes a glossary of Arabic words and an author's note. Ages 5-8. Author's agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Mar.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV039250 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emigration & Immigration
JUV016210 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Middle East
20th century
Social life and customs
Jerusalem
Palestine
Palestinian Arabs
Refugees, Palestinian Arab
Moushabeck, Hannah
