"Anyone who is raising Palestinian children in the diaspora owes Reem Kassis a huge debt of gratitude. The acclaimed cookbook author decided to write a children's book, she tells us in the introduction to We Are Palestinian, because she wanted to show her young daughters and all young readers 'how beautiful their culture is and that they can take part in it and be proud of it no matter where they are in the world.' Kassis accomplishes this--and more. This wonderful book is really a love letter to Palestine itself, describing what it is that makes Palestinians an identifiable Arab nation and imparts to children the reasons they can take pride in their culture. That foundational understanding will stand them in good stead as they grow up in what can often feel like a hostile environment. The text is arranged into seven chapters, each describing a different component of Palestine: geography, cultural symbols, specific people who make a difference, agriculture, cuisine, song and dance, and history and religion. Written for young readers ages nine years and older, every chapter includes a 'Did You Know?' and 'Fun Fact' blurb that is designed to inform, engage and inspire. Adults can learn a thing or two from them, too.

The text is beautifully illustrated by Noha Eilouti, a Canadian-Palestinian visual artist whose drawings complement the text and make every single page a visual treat. Appropriately, the book begins with geography: the cities, towns and villages in which Palestinians have lived their lives over the centuries. People are rooted in specific places, and few people have had their connection to a specific geography come under sustained and relentless attack as have Palestinians. Kassis selects 11 cities and presents distinctive features of each. I was glad to see that Kassis devoted a chapter to agriculture, a tribute to Palestinian agrarian heritage. The text encourages young readers to give some thought to the richness of that tradition, which evolved over centuries of intentionally tending the land. Children need role models, and Kassis chose internationally known writers and poets such as Edward Said and Mahmoud Darwish, but also singers, artists, oud players and novelists whose names are less familiar but who have contributed substantially to Arab culture, such as novelist Sahar Khalifeh and Arab Idol singer Mohammed Assaf. Shireen Abu Akleh, a long-time Al Jazeera journalist, made international headlines when she was killed by the Israeli military in May 2022, but here Kassis' focus is on what made Abu Akleh a role model for young girls and beloved throughout the Arab world: her determination to tell the stories of ordinary people, a purpose that overrode every other consideration.

Palestine produced Abu Akleh as it did the people, places and cultural expressions celebrated in this book, and Palestinian parents now have a book to give their children that will help them appreciate their rich heritage.".