FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

On Sale September 29, 2024

Kamal’s Key

Written by Rifk Ebeid

Illustrated by Sophia Soliman

A bold new children’s picture book about the Palestinian key of return and

the powerful symbol it has become in the Palestinian cause for human rights and justice.

This is Kamal’s key. 

It is large, heavy, and made of iron.

At first, it was the key to his home. 

A home he built with his hands, 

Stone by stone, 

On his family’s land. 

The key was his new beginning… 

Kamal’s Key is a multigenerational, timeless, and empowering story that engages the reader along the evolutionary path of Kamal’s key, as he adapts through different seasons and challenges in his life, especially the most difficult ones. 

Inspired by real-world events, both past and present, Kamal’s Key is a story of resilience and hope, even when the world feels dark. In its simplicity and sequential structure, children learn how and why different events and circumstances can cause simple objects to transform into more powerful and meaningful symbols for an entire nation. 

Rifk Ebeid is a Palestinian writer and pediatric speech language pathologist. Kamal’s Key is her fourth children’s picture book, following Baba, What Does My Name Mean? A Journey To Palestine, You Are The Color, and the unique wordless picture book Birthday Kunafa. She began writing children’s books to serve as an ongoing trust to teach children about Palestinian history and inspire them to be proud of their identity and always fight in the cause of justice. Ebeid has a JD from George Mason University, an MA in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University, and an MA in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Northern Colorado. 

Sophia Soliman is an illustrator, photographer and college lecturer with roots in Portugal and Egypt, now based in the bustling city of Cairo. Her work is all about capturing the depth of human emotions and finding ways to express them visually. She tries to include that in her art as well as her lectures of Portuguese in Ain Shams University. Soliman has published books in Egypt, the UK, the US, and the Netherlands. With a mix of cultural influences and a focus on emotional connection, she aim to create artwork that not only looks good but also resonates on a deeper level with children, her students and, hopefully, you, the reader. Her goal is to invite others to explore what it means to be human and to celebrate the full spectrum of feelings we all experience.

Palestine / History / Ages 5 -10

Hardcover 8 x 8 inches, 44 pages

ISBN:

979-8-9859926-8-7

High resolution images are available upon request; scanning from the book or lifting images from the mechanical file are strictly prohibited.  Mandatory credit line: From Kamal’s Key written by Rifk Ebeid, with illustrations by Sophia Soliman.  

For more information, please contact:

Rifk Ebeid

info@rifkbooks.com

www.rifkbooks.com

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