A is for Arabia

Yesterday we came across and bought my favorite picture book we have seen here. A is for Arabia written by Julia Johnson and illustrated by Emily Styles is a wonderful picture book to introduce children to Arabia and poetry. From the publisher Stacey International: "This is a journey through Arabia from A to Z, accompanied along the way by charming illustrations and witty rhymes."

It's an excellent introduction to new cultural vocabulary for children and a good remembrance for us of words and memories we have had this year...from the obvious C is for camel, F is for fort, M is for mosque, and S is for souq to lesser known words that have meant something to us like D is for dhow (boat), J is for jebel (mountain), U is for umm (mother), and Y is for "yallah" (one of the few arabic words I know and we use with Eleanor meaning "hurry up," often heard at the playground :) I cannot recommend this book more.