Children’s Books for Hope & Understanding Amid the Israeli Palestinian Conflict

Wishing Upon the Same Stars written by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
Written in an accessible way, this book is full of hope about the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis. Yasmeen’s father is Palestinian from Jerusalem and her mother is from Lebanon. Based on the author’s own family, they are not Muslim but Maronite Christians. When they leave their large Arab-American community in Detroit to move to San Antonio, Yasmeen feels like she will never fit in. Her mother hears Arabic spoken by their neighbors across the street, but hurries home when she finds out their last name is Cohen, and they are Jewish Israelis. Against all odds, Yasmeen and Ayelet Cohen begin a friendship that grows to include their entire families.

Running on Eggs written by Anna Levine
Karen, who lives on an Israeli kibbutz, and Yasmine, who lives in a nearby Palestinian village, both love running. They meet through the Arab-Israeli track team. When Yasmine has to quit the team since the coach won’t let her run in skirts, they meet in secret in the “no man’s land” between their communities since neither of their families would approve of their friendship. Despite everything, they work together to maintain their friendship and their running goals.

Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi
Samir, a Palestinian boy, shatters his knee in an accident and ends up in an Israeli hospital waiting for a specialist. As he waits in the shared room, he gets to know the other children there, both Jews and Arabs. Most notably are Tzahi, an Israeli boy who taunts him and Yonatan, who becomes his friend. As the weeks drag on, Samir faces the stereotypes he has always known and learns more about Israelis on a personal level. Note: this is a Palestinian point of view written by an Israeli author.

The Six-Day Hero written by Tammar Stein
Motti is twelve, and his older brother Gideon is nineteen — the same age as the new state of Israel. Gideon is serving in the army now, as all Israelis do when they finish high school. The young country is a mix of immigrants, many of whom survived the Holocaust, and native-born Sabras like Motti and his family. Things are tense in the summer of 1967. Egypt, Jordan, and Syria are assembling their troops along the borders, threatening to wipe the new country off the map. When his father is called up to the Reserves and his brother’s training becomes more intense, Motti knows it is only a matter of time before war breaks out. This incredible story places the reader right in the middle of those terrifying and then exhilarating six days. It is a phenomenal look at life in West Jerusalem when it was still a divided city. It is one thing to learn the history of the Six Day War, it is entirely different to experience it alongside Motti.