Three Board Books that will Delight Young Ones! (Book Review)

Recently I reviewed a wonderful book by the company Smart Ark for children ages 4-8 that deals with recycling and our responsibility as Muslims to implement the three R’s. Today I want to take a look at three other books that I received from this company.     

The First Steps series comprises so far Made by Allah: Alphabet Book, Thank you Allah: Counting Book and Prayer Times: Book of Colours. These board books are perfect for introducing basic concepts such as the alphabet letters, colours and numbers as well as for introducing elements of Islam to very young children.     

The books are all made of sturdy recycled board so that they can handle little hands pulling and tugging (and maybe even chewing) them. The illustrations are simple, clear and vibrant. Two of them are written in simple rhyme. Here is a brief look at the books:  

photo source: smartark.com/

 

 

“A is for apple, a healthy treat, Made by Allah, to enjoy and eat.  

   

B is for boat, that sails on the sea, Which Allah protect, and brings home safely.”     

Made by Allah: Alphabet Book uses each letter of the English alphabet to show children the variety of things Allah has given them; from food, toys, animals and even the day and night. Each letter appears on a page with text in simple rhyme and  an illustration.     

photo source: http://www.smartark.com/

 

“One golden sun, rising as I say, Thank you Allah, for a beautiful day.     

Two pieces of toast, with strawberry jam, Thank you Allah, how grateful I am.”     

Thank you Allah: Counting Book will help young children learn to count from 1 to 10 while appreciating the many beautiful things Allah has given them. Again the use of simple rhyme and illustrations will capture the attention of young readers and their parents.     

“A Muslim prays five times a day. When we pray we face Mecca in Saudi Arabia….     

photo source: http://www.smartark.com/

 

When we pray to Allah, we than Him for all the blessings He ahs given us….     

The Fajr prayer starts just before dawn and ends just before sunrise.     

Can you find these colours in the Fajr time picture?     

Blue Pink Beige”     

In Prayer Times: Book of Colours young children are given a very brief (and appropriate for their age) introduction to salah (or prayer) as they attempt to identify the colours in the pictures. The times and names of the five daily prayers are given in this short board book. As they read the book, children are asked to find a particular colour in the picture. In most cases the colours correspond with the colours you would find for that particular time of day (bright colours for the day and darker ones for evening and night). This book does not only introduces the young reader to the primary colours (red, blue, yellow) but to some secondary colours (green, orange, purple) and a wider range too (beige, peach, maroon).   

 

I think parents and teachers would be delighted to have these board books in their homes and classrooms (preschools) as the books provide young children(ages 2-4) with a wonderful introduction to the English alphabet and numbers and salah. To help young children learn Arabic numbers and alphabet take a look at the posters designed by the company. For more information on these books and other products produced by Smart Ark check out the website http://smartark.com/