Preschool-1st Grade

Banner Image: I Am Lost by Palestinian-American artist Jordan Nassar

In April, Berkeley Unified School District celebrates Arab American & South West Asian North African (SWANA) Heritage Month, lifting up and honoring the contributions of Arab Americans and SWANA Americans in our school community.

These reading lists, organized by grade level, represent recently published books that are devoted to celebrating, representing, and affirming Arab American & SWANA American heritage, and celebrating their invaluable contributions to our community.

Halal Hot Dogsby Susannah Aziz

In My Mosqueby M.O. Yuksel
Format: Picture Book

Mama Shamsi at the Bazaarby Mojdeh Hassani

The Library Busby Bahram Rahman

The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Storyby Aya Khalil

The Shape of Homeby Rashin Kheiriyeh

What Color Is My Hijab?by Hudda Ibrahim

Where Butterflies Fill The Sky: A Story of Immigration, Family, and Finding Homeby Zahra Marwan

How do I read these books?

You can get all of these books from the Berkeley Public Library or ask your school librarian! Clicking on the book covers above will take you straight to an e-book available through Sora or, in cases where ebooks are not available, to the Berkeley Public Library catalog, where you can place a physical copy of the book on hold.

For Sora ebooks, you will be prompted to log in through Clever. More information on how to access Sora is available here.
You will need a Berkeley Public Library card to access books through the Berkeley Public Library catalog. If you need a Berkeley Public Library card, click here.

At a time when so many small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, we also encourage folks to support our local bookstores:

Ashay by the Bay, Bandung Books, Eastwind Books, Marcus Books, Mrs. Dalloways, Moe’s Books, Mr. Mopps, Books Inc., Pegasus Books and Mrs. Dalloways.

How do I read these books?

Many of these books are available through Berkeley school libraries as a physical and/or ebook. For more information about any of these books, or to check one of them out, ask your school librarian.

3-12 graders can find hundreds of great options on Sora. For Sora ebooks, you will be prompted to log in through Clever. More information on how to access Sora is available here.
TK-2 graders can find great ebooks and read-alouds through Tumblebooks or the Berkeley Public Library.
You will need a Berkeley Public Library card to order books through the Berkeley Public Library catalog. If you need a Berkeley Public Library card, click here.

For more information and instructions on accessing ebooks and audiobooks, visit our Digital Books page.

At a time when so many small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, we also encourage folks to support our local bookstores:

Ashay by the Bay, Bandung Books, Eastwind Books, Marcus Books, Moe’s Books, Mr. Mopps, Books Inc., Pegasus Books and Mrs. Dalloways.