RESOURCES  ON THE MIDDLE EAST

 

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

 

Heide, F. P., Heide, J. H. (1995).  The day of Ahmed's secret.  New York:

 

Mulberry Books.  (Elementary).  A young Egyptian boy in Cairo goes about his delivery work and then      divulges his secret to his family: he has  learned to write his name. (caution :could play into stereotype that education does not matter to family).

 

Schetlman, L. (1999). A Peddler's dream. New York: Reading Rainbow.  (Elementary). A Lebanese man, who comes to the United States to seek his  fortune, suffers several setbacks, but makes his dream come true.

 

PICTURE BOOKS

 

The Stars in my Geddoh's Sky by Claire Sidhom Matze

 

Sami and the Time of Troubles "        "

 

The House of Wisdom by Florence Parry Heide (Set in the Middle Ages)

 

Traveling Man:- The Journey of Ibn Battuta 1325-1354-Rumford, James

 

Hosni the dreamer: an arabian tale-Ben-'Ezer (A folktale though no source is given)

 

The Roses in my Carpets by Rukhsana (young Afghani refugee)

 

The Hundreth name -Oppenheim, Shulamith Levey

 

FICTION

 

The Storyteller's beads -Kurtz, Jane

 

Habibi-Nye, Naomi Shihab (Jewish-Arab relations between Jerusalem and Palestine)

 

The Beduins' gazelle-Temple, Frances (Set in 1302)

 

NON-FICTION

 

Muslim Mosque-Wood, Angela

 

Muslim festival tales Marchant, Kerena

 

Celebrating Ramadan-Hoyt-Goldsmith

 

The Arab Americans-Naff, Alixa

 

I am Muslim-Chalfonte, Jessica

 

 

 

 

CURRICULUM

 

Scarves of Many Colors: Muslim Women and the Veil

Audiotape by Joan Bohorfoush and Diana Dickerson.  Curriculum by Bill Bigelow, Sandra Childs, Norm Diamond, Diana Dickerson, and Jan Haaken.

2000 audiotape 24min Curriculum 54 pp.

This award-winning audio tape and an accompanying curriculum engage students in thinking critically about stereotypes of “covered” Islamic women.  The audio tape introduces a range of U.S. and Middle Eastern women who tell stories and offer insight.  The curriculum offers four classroom-tested lessons, including an excellent role play/tribunal on “Women and the Veil,” with accompanying student handouts.  A lively addition to any Global Studies, psychology, sociology, women’s studies, world history, or teacher education curriculum.

See website of NECA for ordering info of Scarves of Many Colors: Muslim Women and the Veil.    www.teachingforchange.org/

 

Following Resources from American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee (www.adc.org)

 

Rodseth, Lars; Sally Howell; and Andrew Shryock. Arab World Mosaic: A Curriculum Supplement for Elementary Teachers. (Dearborn, MI: ACCESS, 1994) 209pgs. $20.00 and $5.00 shipping. Lesson plans, exercises and stories of the Arab world, based on the life experiences of Arab immigrants. Covers the person, family, community, holidays and folktales. Designed to be used with The Day of Ahmed’s Secret, Nadia the Willful, Sami and the Time of Troubles, Sitti and the Cats, and Sitti’s Secret.

 

Shabbas, Audrey; Carol El-Shaieb; and Ahlam Nabulsi. The Arabs: Activities for the Elementary School Level. (AWAIR, 1991) Grade K-7/60pgs. $16.00. Hands-on projects and exercises. Cook, weave, macrame, sing, dance, recycle, games, storytelling.

 

Sheen, Dennis. A Child’s Picture Dictionary, English/Arabic. (NY: Adama Books, 1985) Grades K+/39 pgs. $9.95.

 

Soghikian, Juanita W. Lands, Peoples and Communities of the Middle East. (Spring Valley, CA: Middle East Gateway Series, 1991) Grades 4-6/80 pgs. $12.00. 30 lessons on culture; geography; urban, rural and nomadic life in 19 countries.

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

 

Aishalabi, Firyal M. Ahmed’s Alphabet Book. List: $16.00 AET: $10.00. Young Ahmed tells about himself , his family, culture and background

 

Al-Mutawa. To Bounce Or Not to Bounce. (Kuwait, 1996) Available through ADC. 33pgs/$10.00, plus. $3.00 shipping. A story set in ABouncyLand@ celebrating diversity and accepting individual differences. Not specifically Arab but can be used in home or classroom to prompt discussion of racial, ethnic or religious differences. Won UNESCO Honorable Mention award for Children’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance.

 

Azzam, Adb al Rahman. The Travels of Ibn Battuta. Illus. Khaled Seydo. (London, England: Hood Hood Books). Ages 8-12/36pgs. In 1325, Ibn Battuta, a 21 year old Moroccan scholar and religious judge, sets off from Tangier to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca. This series mixes history with fantasy by telling the stories of Ibn Battuta’s 70,000 mile pilgrimage to Mecca on which he traveled thirty years and covered 44 countries.

 

Ibn Battuta in the Valley of Doom. (Hood Hood Books) Ages 8-12/36pgs. Battuta reaches Damascus and sets off with the pilgrim caravan. On the way however, they cross the Valley of Doom where, it is said, a fierce wind blows directly from hell.

 

Ibn Battuta Son of the Mighty Eagle. (Hood Hood Books) Ages 8-12/36pgs. Ibn Battuta attempts to reach India but instead comes across the shark-infested Red Sea and many exciting adventures in Yemen and Africa.

 

Ibn Battuta and the Lost Shadow. (Hood Hood Books) Ages 8-12/32pgs. The young Moroccan traveler prepares to depart from Muscat. His shadow however has other plans.

 

Ganeri, Anita. Remember Palestine. Hutchinson, Uthman (Beltsville, MD: Amana Publications) List: $19.95; AET $15.00. An introduction to Palestinian children and their country.

 

The following books are all published by Amana Books:

 

First Fast. 1st gr/24 pgs. $3.95. The Ramadan Fast is presented with humor through Jamaal's eyes

 

The Axe. 1st gr/24pgs. $3.95. A near accident teaches Jamaal the importance of obeying his parents.

 

The Attic. 2nd gr/24pgs. $3.95. Jamaal discovers courage when he has to confront the dark, scary attic.

 

Tomatoes. 2nd gr/24pgs. $3.95. Jamaal’s perseverance and hard work are almost ruined by insects.

 

Applesauce. 3rd gr/56pgs. $6.95. Fatima’s mother teaches her about the equality of human beings.

 

Big Business. 4th gr/46pgs. $6.95. A Malay woman teaches Fatima how to start and run a business, and her brothers learn that women are equal to men.

 

What's in a Name. 5th gr/100pgs. $9.95. Muhammad teaches an immigrant Muslim self- respect.

 

The New Kid. 6th gr/84pgs. $9.95. Jealousy and stubbornness plague Muhammad when a new boy moves in.

 

Macdonald, Fiona. Ibn Tulun The Story of a Mosque. Illus. Joan Ullathorne. (London, England: Hood Hood Books.) Ages 9-12/48pgs. Gives a detailed history of the mosque of Ibn Tulun in the heart of Cairo, how it was built, and the lives of those who built and used it at the time of the Abbasid Empire. Full of fascinating facts and illustrations.

 

Schefelman, Janice Jordan. A Peddler’s Dream. Illus. Tom Shefelman. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992) A young Lebanese-American man overcomes many hardships as he travels the countryside by foot to seek his fortune. He eventually becomes owner of a large store and is able to provide a secure life for his family. This tells of an experience by many Arab immigrants in the 19th century.

 

APPENDIX

 

Amana Publications
10710 Tucker Street, Suite B
Beltsville, MD 20705-2223
(301) 595-5777; FAX: (301) 595-5888

 

American Educational Trust (AET)
Sara Razaq
1900 18th St. NW
Washington DC 20009
(800) 368-5788

 

Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU)
475 Riverside Drive, Rm. 57
New York, NY 10115-0241
(212) 870-2053; fax: (212) 870-2050
AMEU@aol.com

 

AMIDEAST
Leslie Nucho
1730 M Street
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 776-9624; FAX: (202) 882-6563

 

Arab World and Islamic Resources and School Services (AWAIR)
1865 Euclid Ave., Suite 4
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 704-0517 FAX: (510) 704-0741

 

Clarion Books
215 Park Ave. South
New York, NY 10003
 (212) 420-5889; FAX: (212) 420-5855
http://www.hmco.com/trade/<O:P</O:P

 

Hood Hood Books
(Their materials are available in the U.S. from AMIDEAST. Call for prices and a full catalogue of Hood Hood books.)

 

Middle East Gateway Series
16105 E. Carmel Drive
Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
(602) 837-7006

 

Sound Vision<O:P</O:P
843 W. Van Buren, Suite 411
Chicago, IL 60607
(800) 432-4262

 

 

Thanks  to

                         Francis Martindale  of The Gordon School in Providence  Rhode Island

                         Monica Larenas  and Irene McGinty  of Starlight  Professional 

                         Development School, Watsonville, California

                         Deborah Menkart of Network of Educators on the Americas, Washington,  

                         D.C  for input on this list of resources  

 

Send your responses to these resources to  www.enidlee.com

 

Compiled By Enidlee Consultants

www.enidlee.com