Map of Fun By Naomi Shihab Nye (Grades 1-3)

from 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East
Naomi Shihab Nye describes herself as a “wandering poet.” She has spent more than 40
years traveling the country and the world to lead writing workshops and inspiring students of
all ages. Nye was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother and grew up in
St. Louis, Jerusalem, and San Antonio. Drawing on her Palestinian-American heritage,
the cultural diversity of her home in Texas, and her experiences traveling in Asia, Europe,
Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East, Nye uses her writing to attest to our shared humanity.
She is the author and/or editor of more than 30 volumes.