The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale

September 11, 2023
Per an author’s note, Khalil and Semirdzhyan respond to a Pennsylvania school district’s 2021 banning of their previous collaboration, The Arabic Quilt, with this empathic, text-heavy follow-up. When “the new diverse books” in the school library are removed from circulation, Kanzi, who is of Egyptian descent, and classmates, portrayed with various skin tones, react with shock and dismay. Asked why anyone would ban books, Ms. Jackson answers, “Some books are so powerful that they intimidate people.” While the creators fully explore the range of emotions the protagonist experiences in response to the books’ removal (“She walks a little slower, a little smaller”), they also highlight concrete actions that empower the child. In sketches washed in earthy hues, Kanzi journals, talks to her Teita about protests in Tahrir Square, and helps coordinate a protest and bake sale for the purchase of books for Little Free Libraries. It’s a motivating title whose concluding triumph underlines the idea that “our voices are important!” An author’s note and recipe conclude. Ages 7–10.