A Map for Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home

Curly-haired Falasteen knows her family is Palestinian, but after her teacher asks students to point out on a map where their family is from, she can’t find Palestine. When she asks why, her teacher responds, “I think there’s no such place.” Back home, Falasteen asks her grandfather the same question. On a notebook page, “he drew little circles and gave life to cities and villages with names she had not heard before.” He hands her the map, saying, “Your teacher needs teaching... your friends can learn too.” Other family members offer more details about the family’s history. Her grandmother describes how she herself ran, carrying Falasteen’s mother and the family’s house key, when soldiers arrived. Mama adds, “There are people who say it doesn’t exist. That we don’t exist. But their maps can’t erase us.” Betawi renders Falasteen’s immediate surroundings in yellows and oranges that give way to deep-blue remembrances, while Odeh sensitively narrates this double debut about a family’s culture and homeland. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)