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Reviewed by: Ana Canino-Fluit, Elementary School Librarian Title: Nadia and Nadir: Beach-Trash Art
Author: Marzieh A. Ali Ilustrator: Lala Stellune Series: Nadia and Nadir #1
Publisher: ABDO Books
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: PK-3 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: None Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I bought this book for our ELLs who want to read beginner chapter books with Muslim/Arab representation.
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: The Nadia and Nadir series is fun, engaging and seemlessly weaves cultural references in with engaging storylines.
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Review:
The Nadia and Nadir series features Muslim and Arab-American siblings and their family and friends in realistic situations.
These brief chapter books include a table of content, and other chapter book text features such as chapter titles. Each book tackles relevant topics while providing positive representation (Nadia and her mom both wear hijabs) without it being the point of the story.. Each book has an illustrated character list and a new word glossary in the back.
In Nadia and Nadir: Beach-Trash Art, Nadia, Nadir, their family and friends are ready to enjoy a day at the beach when their fun is disrupted by all the trash they find in the water and on the shore. They are distressed to see so much of it, and work together to clean it up while discussing all the ways trash and plastic pollute the environment. In the midst of these conversations, Arab-American and Muslim cultural references are seamlessly woven throughout. Both the author and illustrator are Muslim (Pakistani & Indonesian).
The illustrations are colorful and attractive. The books have proven especially popular with our ELL population with their accessible text. It is a great addition to a school library.
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website