Noor and her Paper Boat

Noor and Her Paper Boat began with a real little girl, a sheet of paper, and a simple wish: to feed children in Gaza.

After learning that children were going hungry, the author’s young daughter decided she wanted to send them food. With the help of the principal of Sidr School, she folded a paper boat, carefully placed grains inside it, and imagined sending it all the way to Gaza.

Dr. Nousheen Zakaria later transformed that moment into a story about the extraordinary compassion of ordinary children.

She deliberately chose not to name Gaza in the written narrative, allowing Noor’s message to cross political, cultural, and geographical boundaries and speak for every child experiencing hunger and suffering. Yet Palestine remains quietly woven into the story’s visual language: among the illustrated boats, one carries the Palestinian flag — a gentle reminder of the children who first inspired the story.

Inspired by real-life events and dedicated to the children of Gaza, Noor and Her Paper Boat is a tender story of empathy, hope, and a child’s refusal to believe that she is powerless in the face of another child’s suffering.