Arabic-L:GEN:MEOC Book Awards
Dilworth Parkinson
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1) Subject:MEOC Book Awards
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1)
Date: 21 Nov 2007
From:mnnassif at byu.edu
Subject:MEOC Book Awards
MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCIL ANNOUNCES 2007 BOOK AWARDS
The Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC) has announced its 2007 Middle
East book awards recipients. Awards recipients were announced at the
MEOC Annual Business Meeting at the Middle East Studies Association
conference held in Montreal, Quebec, in November 2007.
Established in 1999, the Middle East Book Award recognizes quality
books for children and young adults that contribute meaningfully to
an understanding of the Middle East and its component societies and
cultures. Books are judged on the authenticity of their portrayal of
a Middle Eastern subject, as well as on their characterization, plot,
and appeal for the intended audience. For the purposes of this
award, “The Middle East” is defined as the Arab World, Iran, Israel,
Turkey, and Afghanistan.
Nominations for the Middle East Book Award are made by publishers,
educators, librarians and the general public,with eligible books
published in the period from January 1, 2006 to August 1, 2007. The
MEOC Book Award Committee is a volunteer committee consisting of MEOC
members representing primary, secondary, and post-secondary
educational institutions.
The 2007 MEOC award recipients are:
PICTURE BOOK CATEGORY
(Winner) One City, Two Brothers, written by Chris Smith, illustrated
by Aurélia Fronty (Barefoot Books, 2007)
Written by a former worker with UNICEF and Oxfam in Israel and the
Palestinian Territories, this re-telling of a traditional story from
the time of King Solomon serves as a metaphor for the “wish for the
people of Israel and Palestine to find peace.” The story describes
the founding of the city of Jerusalem as related by King Solomon, as
he seeks to settle an inheritance dispute between two brothers. A
brief footnote at the end describes the importance of Jerusalem in
the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths.
(Honorable Mention) Count Your Way through Iran, by Jim Haskins and
Kathleen Benson, illustrated by Farida Zaman (Millrook Press, 2007).
Using simple text, authors Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson introduce
elementary age readers to Iranian culture by choosing words that fit
the numbers one (yek) through ten (dah) in Farsi. The book travels
the length and breadth of the country, from Omar Khayyam’s famous
four line poems to the seven countries that border Iran. This book
makes an excellent non-political introduction to the rich culture of
Iran for younger readers.
(Honorable Mention) The Rich Man and the Parrot, retold by Suzan
Nadimi, illustrated by Ande Cook (Albert Whitman and Company, 2007).
The Rich Man and the Parrot comes from the Masnavi, a work by the
thirteenth-century Persian poet Mevlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi
(1207-1273). In this simple tale, a parrot, the beloved possession
of a wealthy merchant, tricks his owner into setting him free. While
telling the tried-and-tested story of the small and weak triumphing
over the large and powerful, this culturally rich story reads easily
and sends a strong message. 2007 has been declared “The Year of
Rumi” by UNESCO in honor of the poet’s 800th birthday, and this is a
wonderful way to introduce him to young readers.
YOUTH LITERATURE
(Winner) Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood, by Ibtisam Barakat
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007).
In this powerful, groundbreaking memoir, Ibtisam Barakat captures
what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. While
Tasting the Sky deals with many specifically Palestinian issues, it
also explores universal themes of conflict with parents and society,
the impact of war on children, and living a positive life despite
hardships and tragedies. If connecting with the reader is an
important aspect of literature, then this book accomplishes that goal.
YOUTH NON-FICTION
(Winner–tie) Iraq (Modern World Nations Series) by Dale Lightfoot,
series editor Charles F. Gritzner (Chelsea House Publishers, 2007).
Part of the Modern Nations Series by Chelsea House Publishers, this
entry on Iraq is clearly written, well organized, and nicely
illustrated (great photos and maps). Written by a former contractor
who worked with Iraqi universities to rebuild the country’s
educational program, this book gives a thorough overview of Iraq’s
culture, geography, and history, but also touches on popular culture,
sports, and youth culture. These flourishes that could only be
written by someone who has been there give the text greater
authenticity and place it in a category over many of the other
resources rushed to print after the 2003 U.S. invasion. This entry
in the series is a worthy standout.
(Winner–tie) Opposing Viewpoints: Iran (Opposing Viewpoints Series),
Laura K. Egendorf, editor (Greenhaven Press, 2006).
Part of the critically acclaimed Opposing Viewpoints Series, this
volume dealing with Iran continues the series’ tradition of using
short primary documents to encourage readers to familiarize
themselves with opposing answers to a posed question: Is Iran a
Threat to Global Security? What is the Future of Iran? The strength
of the opposing viewpoints series is that it encourages its readers
to understand both sides of an argument, rather than creating an
arbitrary middle ground or attempting to pass off one set of views as
“right” and the opposing side as “wrong.” An excellent resource for
secondary level educators that can also be easily appreciated by the
lay reader looking for more information on this timely subject.
ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCIL
Established in 1981, the Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC) is a
national nonprofit organization working to increase public knowledge
about the peoples, places, and cultures of the Middle East, including
the Arab world, Iran, Israel, Turkey, and Afghanistan. MEOC’s network
of educators are dedicated to disseminating nonpartisan information,
resources, and activities furthering understanding about the Middle
East. MEOC’s target audience is non-specialists at the K-12 and
college levels, although its services also are relevant to broader
community needs. MEOC has members around the country and its services
include a newsletter, member listserve, book awards, workshops for
educators, curriculum resources, and a website. MEOC is an
affiliated organization of the Middle East Studies Association.
# # #
FULL LIST OF MIDDLE EAST BOOK AWARD RECIPIENTS
2007—PICTURE BOOK: One City, Two Brothers, written by Chris Smith,
illustrated by Aurélia Fronty (Barefoot Books, 2007); PICTURE BOOK
HONORABLE MENTION: Count Your Way through Iran, by Jim Haskins and
Kathleen Benson, illustrated by Farida Zaman (Millrook Press, 2007)
and The Rich Man and the Parrot, retold by Suzan Nadimi, illustrated
by Ande Cook (Albert Whitman and Company, 2007). YOUTH LITERATURE:
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood, by Ibtisam Barakat (Farrar,
Straus and Giroux, 2007). YOUTH NON-FICTION (TIE): Iraq (Modern World
Nations Series) by Dale Lightfoot, series editor Charles F. Gritzner
(Chelsea House Publishers, 2007) and Opposing Viewpoints: Iran
(Opposing Viewpoints Series), Laura K. Egendorf, editor (Greenhaven
Press, 2006).
2006—PICTURE BOOK: Lugalbanda, The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War by
Kathy Henderson, illustrator Jane Ray (Candlewick Press, 2006);
PICTURE BOOK HONORABLE MENTION: Mystery Bottle by Kristen Balouch,
(Hyperion Books for Children, 2006); YOUTH LITERATURE: A Little
Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird (Haymarket Books, 2006; originally
published in England by Macmillan UK in 2003); YOUTH NON-FICTION:
The Illustrator’s Notebook by Mohieddin Ellabbad (Groundwood Books,
2006); YOUTH NON-FICTION HONORABLE MENTION: Great Muslim
Philosophers and Scientists in the Middle Ages six-part series (Rosen
Publishing Group, 2006); and Lebanon A to Z: A Middle Eastern Mosaic
by Marijean Boueri, Jill Boutros, and Joanne Sayad, illustrator
Tatiana Sabbagh (Publishing Works, 2005)
2005—PICTURE BOOK: Alia’s Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq by Mark
Alan Stamaty (Alfred A. Knopf, 2004); PICTURE BOOK HONORABLE MENTION:
The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt, 2005), and The
Travels of Benjamin of Tudela by Uri Shulevitz, (Farrar Traus Giroux,
2005); YOUTH LITERATURE: Figs and Fate by Elsa Marston (George
Braziller, 2005); YOUTH REFERENCE: Historical Atlas of Islam by
Malise Ruthven and Azim Nanji (Harvard University Press, 2004).
2004—PICTURE BOOK: Muhammad by Demi (Margaret McElderry Books,
2003); YOUTH REFERENCE: Mosque by David Macaulay (Houghton Mifflin
Company, 2003); and Teen Life in the Middle East, edited by Ali Akbar
Mahdi (Greenwood Press, 2003); YOUTH REFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:
Witness to History: Afghanistan by David Downing (Heinemann Library,
2003) and A History of the Muslim World to 1405: The Making of a
Civilization by Vernon O. Egger (Prentice Hall, 2003).
2003—YOUTH LITERATURE: 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye
(Greenwillow Books, 2002); YOUTH REFERENCE: Women in the Middle
East, Tradition and Change (revised edition) by Ramsay M. Harik and
Elsa Marston (Franklin Watts, 2003).
2002—PICTURE BOOK: Celebrating Ramadan by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
(Holiday House, 2002); YOUTH LITERATURE: The Breadwinner by Deborah
Ellis (Groundwood Books, 2002).
2001—PICTURE BOOK: Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta,
1325-1354 by James Rumford (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001); YOUTH
LITERATURE: Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi (Scholastic, 2000);
YOUTH REFERENCE: Islam by Sue Penney (Heinemann Library, 2001).
2000—PICTURE BOOK: House of Wisdom by Florence Parry Heide and Judith
Heide Gilliland (DK Publishing, 1999); PICTURE BOOK HONORABLE
MENTION: The Storytellers by Ted Lewin (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard,
1998); YOUTH LITERATURE: Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye (Simon &
Schuster, 1997).
# # #
--
Christopher Rose
Assistant Director
Center for Middle Eastern Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
+1 (512) 471-3582 direct
+1 (512) 471-3881 main
+1 (512) 471-7834 fax
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/cmes/outreach/
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/orgs/hemispheres/
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