Yalla! - by D B Ameen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Ahlan wa sahlan!

From debut writer Ameen D.B. and illustrator Ismael Hernández (Armored) comes Yalla!, a middle-grade Arabic graphic novel for English readers, full of adventure, magic, and heartfelt stories of compassion and overcoming adversity.

Welcome to Yalla!, the story of Pada, who recently immigrated to a strange new place with her parents and little brother. Join Pada on her epic adventures, all while learning a new language, making friends, and fighting . . . monsters?!

Pada feels out of place in her unfamiliar home, surrounded by people and places she doesn't understand. She tries to make the best of her new home but trials await at every turn. When she encounters a monstrous bird, a hungry troll, a no-face fisherman, and (most fearsome of all) a three-hundred-foot mythical lizard monster, Pada will have to do everything she can to protect those around her and make it home safely.

Told in four parts, Yalla! is an Arabic graphic novel for English readers. Telling bold stories about immigration, racism, environmentalism, and corruption, Yalla! puts readers in an immigrant's shoes to teach literacy and empathy in unique ways. While the book is not in English--fear not! By joining along with Pada, readers will encounter a new place and language, all while learning a new Arabic word or phrase in each chapter.

About the Author

Ameen D.B. is a professional writer and educator, a semiprofessional napper, and an amateur pirate. He has taught and learned from children all around the world in places like Liberia, Taiwan, and most recently, Lebanon. If you ever need to find him, just go to your nearest surf break and look for the guy getting pummeled by the waves. Yalla! is his debut book.

Ismael Hernández is a family man. When he is not cleaning his house or enjoying his son and his wife, he plays with old-fashioned steel maces and old-fashioned inks, watercolors, and papers. Hernández has painted and written several comics and graphic novels since 2009. Some of his titles are Armored, The Wolf and the Crow, and The Iron Golem.