Homeland

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated. 

Taking the time to share our memories with our children tells them where we have come from, whether it just be general stories of our childhood, or specific memories of a former homeland.   In Homeland: My father dreams of Palestine we see a dad sharing his memories of Palestine with his family.   I found it poignant that his daughter considers his memories as memories of HER homeland as well. 

The Basic Details for Homeland

Title: Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine
Author: Hannan Moushabek
Illustrator: Reem Madooh
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Intended Audience: 5-8 years, kindergarten to grade 3
Style: Picture book
Genre: children’s social situations, children’s parents, immigration, emigration, memories, Palestine,
Formats available: kindle, hardcover
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
Received: Hardcover

About the Author

Hannah Moushabeck has given us her first ever picture book that shows you her roots.  She is a second generation Palestinian-American.  Not only is Hannah an author, who grew up in a family of booksellers, but also an editor and marketer.  She learned the value of books and literature from an early age. 

About the book

Homeland is about a dad’s remembrance of his homeland of Palestine, retelling stories to his family of the food, smells, music , and activities.  He was surrounded by poets, musicians, historians, story-tellers and pigeon keepers!   Read his stories, and be inspired to tell your own. 

Taking a deeper look

There is so much that I enjoy about Homeland: My Father dreams of Palestine.  I love the dad taking the time to tell his stories to his family.  I love how his family claims his homeland as their own as well, even as they know they might never see it themselves.  Dad must make those stories so real for them.  🙂  Can you imagine having your stories make your children long to live your childhood? 

The font is easy to read, perhaps not quite large enough to read easily with a group of children, but easy enough to read with children sitting right next to you.   The illustrations draw the eye in and help tell the story so well. 

I love how you can see how music infused his childhood, and it makes me wonder, if music infuses the life of his children.  The guitar and drum I see in their family home hints at this truth.   So many talking points on each of the pages.  Can you imagine how you can follow up the pigeon keeper with perhaps finding a pigeon keeper in real life?  Seeing how homing pigeons always stay at home? 

In my family, my mom will talk about the food they had growing up, the difficulties during the war and how their parents helped.  My mom will speak to the faithfulness of God in so many of her life decisions.  But seeing the food and the memories it elicits for the dad, makes me wonder, what dishes from my childhood can I share with my boy?   What might you share with your children? 

At the close of this tale you will see arabic words and their definitions, in case you missed the meaning throughout reading.   Did you know what a fez was? 

If you were doing a study on Palestine and wanted to see what life might be like for a boy living there, you’ll find Homeland to be a useful primer.  It can definitely add a deeper element to your homeschooling studies into this war-torn land (without the scenes of battle).