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Join us as we welcome Jenan Matari and Sahar Mustafah to the store for an event in celebration of Jenan's new book Everything Grows in Jidoo's Garden, the story of a young Palestinian girl and her Jiddo—her Grandpa!

Jiddo’s garden is a wonder. In it grows so many amazing things—to see, smell, and taste. But helping him to tend the garden teaches this young girl about even more than fig trees. It gives her a chance to discover just who she is. Many years ago, like so many Palestinians, her family was forced to leave their homeland. But Jiddo shows her how, until they can return, tending a garden can connect them to home—and to each other! This heartwarming debut picture book by Jenan Matari explores themes of displacement, belonging, and an enduring connection to the land. With stunning illustrations by Aya Ghanameh, it’s a poignant celebration of love, identity and hope.

Jenan A. Matari is an award-winning Palestinian American storyteller. Her work centers on narratives of resistance, resilience and culture, weaving the struggles of Indigenous peoples globally into her advocacy for Palestinian liberation. Her popular social media presence has earned her a large global following: You can find Jenan on Instagram @jenanmatari, TikTok @jenan.matari, or visit her website at www.jenanmatari.com. She lives in exile with her family on the ancestral lands of the Lenape people. This is her first book.

Sahar Mustafah is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, an inheritance she explores in her fiction. Her debut novel The Beauty of Your Face was named a 2020 Notable Book and Editor’s Choice by New York Times Book Review and one of Marie Claire Magazine’s 2020 Best Fiction by Women. It was long-listed for the Center for Fiction 2020 First Novel Prize, and was a finalist for the Palestine Book Awards. She was awarded a 2023 Jack Hazard Fellowship from New Literary Project and an Illinois Arts Council Grant. Mustafah writes and teaches outside of Chicago.