Muted, gentle illustrations and Semirdzhyan’s use of white space centers the focus on Kanzi, the students, and her family. 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.

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). Haugen’s language lesson validates Kanzi’s own background knowledge of Arabic and fosters a heartwarming pride. Khalil’s words include intentional and specific details that convey Egyptian culture, from food to music. 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. Haugen facilitating a discussion of English words that come from Arabic, language appreciation, and acceptance.

That evening, wrapped in her Teita’s quilt, Kanzi writes a poem that inspires a classroom quilt project, with her teacher, Mrs.

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. Haugen’s response models and reinforces the importance of educators recognizing and affirming student identity. 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. 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. K-Gr 3.Įgyptian American Kanzi and her family have just moved to a new town where Kanzi will be starting third grade. Review: The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story

The arabic quilt