Banana Dream by Hasan Namir, Illustrated by Daby Zainab Faidhi

A young boy in Iraq yearns to taste the bananas that have been made unavailable by warfare.

 

Growing up in Iraq after the Gulf War, Mooz didn't always like his name, which means "banana". But when he learns the story behind it, he's proud, even when being teased by his classmates. Now all he yearns for is to taste a banana--a lofty dream in a time when few countries are trading with Iraq, where bananas don't grow.

 

Inspired by author Hasan Namir's own childhood, Banana Dream is at once a celebration of a seemingly ordinary fruit and a snapshot of how war can alter a landscape. Artist Daby Zainab Faidhi's background in architectural illustration is evident as she brings the story's setting vividly to life.