There were moments with both my girls and the English language – and I feel like it is a quintessential moment for blossoming readers – when each of them realized that the words in books weren’t magic but were consistent and predictable. And around the same time, they were discovering their power to truly recognize words in books. And then they started “reading” – the stage where they had memorized their favorite stories to a point where it felt to them and to me as if they were reading. And they were using cues from the letters and the pictures to determine where they were in the story. And I saw the flashes of fun and confidence as they interacted with their favorite booksI loved these moments and I was struggling to make that happen in Arabic.
I loved watching my kids blossom into readers and I was struggling to make that happen in Arabic.
And it only finally happened in Arabic after I mocked up a copy of These Chicks (هالصيصان). We had been singing These Chicks since they were little and because they knew the song . . . And they had started to learn their letters, I finally got to see their aha moment in Arabic! My girls were singing the song, using the cues of the first letter of the words to determine where they were in the song. They were “reading” Arabic and it wasn’t daunting – it was accessible and fun.
My girls were “reading” Arabic and it wasn’t daunting – it was accessible and fun.
These Chicks (هالصيصان) is a classic beloved Arabic nursery rhyme well-known in the Levantine part of the world (Syria/Lebanon/Palestine), much like Hey Diddle Diddle here in the States. The board book format makes it ideal for toddlers and the easy to read Arabic print makes it great for those blossoming Arabic readers. The English transliteration and translation is there for non-Arab speakers or new or not-so confident Arabic readers.
It is a colorful sturdy book and makes for a great baby shower or early birthday gift!
