The Egyptian author of The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story, Aya Khalil, has three more books planned for publication over the next year and a half. Khalil is an award-winning author and freelance journalist. Her books have been featured in Oprah Daily, Teen Vogue, Yahoo!, Book Riot and USA Today.

The first book in the line-up is Our World: Egypt, a picture board book that takes young readers through a day in Egypt. The book will be published by Barefoot Books and will be illustrated by Magda Azab. The book will feature vivid illustrations of everyday Egyptian, “complete with candy-colored boats, thumping tablas, and warm pita bread.” Our World: Egypt is expected to hit shelves October 2022.

Next up and set for 2023 is The Banned-Books Bake Sale, a picture book based on true events. In the story, a girl and her classmates plan a protest at their school when they find out the district has banned diverse books. As the girl shares her experience at school with her family, her teita (grandmother) shares her own experience from the 2011 Egyptian revolution. The book will be illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan and published by Tilbury House.

Last, but not least, is The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story, set for publication in March 2023. The picture book will feature three generations of Egyptian Americans bonding over holiday traditions and a precious recipe in preparation for Eid al-Fitr. The book will be illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh and published by Little, Brown.

Congratulations to Khalil! Her books have continuously brought the importance of celebrating diversity and supporting Muslim youth through her writing and her activism. We look forward to adding these new books to our shelves and sharing them with young ones in our lives.