Children's books for a family trip to Egypt

Children's books for a family trip to Egypt, from Egyptian-born Aya Khalil to a Cairo street-life classic.

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A story set where you are headed can turn the journey into part of the trip. For Egypt, that means children's books by authors and illustrators from Egypt, starting with Our World: Egypt by Aya Khalil. Below are three books worth packing, each available in English with links to find them at Bookshop.org or Amazon.

Best very-young pick
Our World: Egypt
Aya Khalil, illustrated by Magda Azab · ages 0-4 · board book

A candy-coloured tour of everyday Egyptian life, with Arabic words and pronunciation guides.

Best heritage picture book
The Arabic Quilt
Aya Khalil · ages 5-9 · picture book

An Egyptian-American girl embraces her heritage when her grandmother's Arabic quilt inspires a class project.

Best Cairo set-in story
The Day of Ahmed's Secret
Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland, illustrated by Ted Lewin · ages 5-9 · picture book

Not by Egyptian creators, but a warm Cairo street-life story: a boy carries a happy secret all day, he can now write his name.

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