The Middle East & North Africa
Morocco
Alya and the Three Cats
By Amina Hachimi Alaoui, Mehdi Retnani (Translator), Maya Fidawi (Illustrator)
Alya and the Three Cats. Amina Hachimi Alaoui. Translated by Mehdi Retnani. Illustrated by Maya Fidawi. CrackBoom! Books, Montreal, 2020. Originally published in Arabic by Yanbu Al Kitab, in Casablanca, in 2016. ISBN 9782898022364. 32 p. (Ages 2-4). Picture book.
Three curious cats watch the changes that come when their owner becomes pregnant and brings home a new baby. With time their uncertainty turns to love for the newcomer. Good for preparing little children for a new sibling. Well and widely reviewed by the international literature community. Also available in French as Alya et les trois chats. [ea]
Qatar
The Light of Hope
By Basmah El Khaṭīb, Ghenwa Yehia (Translator), Bilal Bassal (Illustrator)
The Light of Hope. Basmah El Khaṭīb. Translated by Ghenwa Yehia. Illustrated by Bilal Bassal. Hamid Bin Khalifa University Press, 2018. Originally published as Kandil Alma in Arabic by Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press in Doha, in 2018. ISBN 9789927129681. [unpaged]. (Ages 4-9). Picture book.
A young girl makes her way through a dark forest without losing her hope. An allegorical tale useful for talking about overcoming difficulties by a popular children’s author. [ea]