The two hug and seemingly will become friends.Īcross the hall another quilt is hung with names in Japanese, as another student and teacher were inspired by Kanzi and her quilt. Even Molly sincerely apologizes and asks Kanzi to write her mom’s name in Arabic as a gift. On Monday when everyone sees the quilt, they love the beautiful letters and colors.

The teacher cuts them out and makes a quilt to hang in the hall. Kanzi and her mom write the kids names down and the children copy them.

Telling the kids that “we can speak non-English languages and still be American.” Haugen writes English words that come from Arabic on the board: coffee, lemon, sugar, algebra. The kids love it, and Friday Kanzi’s mom shows up to help with a special project: an Arabic quilt with the kids names. Haugen sees Kanzi’s poem about her quilt from her grandma in Egypt and asks her to bring her quilt to school. Kanzi tells Molly it is because she doesn’t speak Arabic and that her mom says that “learning different languages makes a person smarter and kinder.” Molly dismisses the comment and smugly walks off. Haugen reassures her that “being bilingual is beautiful.” That night Kanzi asks her mom to send her a turkey sandwich for lunch the next day, and before beds she writes a poem as she snuggles in her beloved quilt.Īt school Molly apologizes to her and says that it just sounded funny. When she arrives in class and introduces herself she bravely says that she is Egyptian-American, but on the way to school she turns down the Arabic music in the car, so the reader sees that she is a little nervous about being seen as “different.” When her hijab wearing mom brings her forgotten kofta sandwich and calls Kanzi ‘Habibti,’ classmate Molly teases her that she is being called a hobbit.Ī crying Kanzi tells her teacher and Mrs.

It doesn’t specify if she has just come from Egypt, but being she seems to speak English well, knows that she’d rather have peanut butter and jelly instead of a kofta sandwich and mentions that she got a quilt when she visited her grandmother, in Egypt, she possibly is just starting a new school, not her first in America, but it is considered an immigrant story, so I’m not certain. Kanzi is about to start her first day of 3rd grade in a new school. Ideal for students between 2nd and 4th grade, younger children will enjoy having the story read to them, and older kids will benefit from the message as well. This 36 page picture book tells a beautifully presented story that incorporates events from the author’s real life that convey a story of loving your culture, finding similarities and giving people a second chance.

The Arabic Quilt by Aya Khalil