Publishers Weekly
★ 08/19/2024
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.)
From the Publisher
★ "[A Map for Falasteen] fills a gap in representations of the Palestinian diaspora, offering a much-needed insider’s perspective. . . . A haunting, powerful, and crucial tale of culture and identity." —Kirkus, starred review
★"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." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2024-07-04
A young girl turns to her family members to help her answer the question, “Why isn’t Palestine on the map?”
Falasteen and her schoolmates sit around a world map searching for their countries of origin. When Falasteen asks why she can’t find Palestine, her teacher responds, “I think there’s no such place.” A concerned Falasteen goes home after school, eager for answers. Her grandfather, grandmother, and mother each provide a response that tells her family’s story and strengthens her sense of identity. Drawing inspiration from her own grandmother’s experience of displacement in 1967, the author tells a poignant story of longing and sadness mixed with a persistent hope for a return to a historic homeland and reunification with family. The book is notable for both its honesty and its sensitivity on the topics of “settler colonialism” (a term defined in the backmatter) and expulsion. Incorporating cultural touchstones such as spinach pies and the winding branches of olive trees, Betawi’s delicately beautiful illustrations evoke nostalgia for a place dear to Falasteen and her family’s hearts. Odeh walks a fine line, framing her story in a way that young readers will readily understand while never sugarcoating difficult realities. Her book fills a gap in representations of the Palestinian diaspora, offering a much-needed insider’s perspective. The author’s note provides vital personal and historical context, making this an invaluable teaching tool.
A haunting, powerful, and crucial tale of culture and identity. (resources for adults)(Picture book. 5-10)
