ArabBaba
ArabBaba ’ s top 5 favourite books for kids
By Mostafa Hassan
As we have recently closed the UAE ’ s official ‘ Year of Reading ’ we now get to reflect on all of the initiatives that have encouraged reading inside and outside of the classroom . The chance to read to and with your kids opens up not only a desire for reading , imagination and curiosity – it also expands the relationship that you can have with your children . This year , most of the books that I enjoyed reading with my girls are Dr Seuss stories . These books helped me further my reading relationship with my girls , because I love how his books create questions and start a conversation .
Below , I am sharing my top 5 favourite books that kids and parents can enjoy reading together .
OH , THE PLACES YOU ’ LL GO by Dr . Seuss
This book is my top book . We read it at least 3 times a month together . It is great for any age group . For younger children , it inspires and lets them imagine . For older children , it creates discussions about how far they can go in the world – even with obstacles , intolerance or worries ; they can persevere . I used this book numerous times when my daughter was having challenges learning at school . My wife would read with her and talk about how many opportunities she can create if she gets through a hard situation .
THERE ’ S A WOCKET IN MY POCKET by Dr Seuss
I love rhyming and we spend a lot of time as family finding rhyming words . When we found this book , my now 7 year old ( at the time 5 ) started rhyming every word as we read it . This is great because kids are using rhyming in their curriculum between 5 and 6 . It allows them to create new words already in their vocabulary !
GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU by Sam McBratney
Our nighttime book has been part of our lives since my girls were born . It shows how much a person can love and can equate loving into big things . When my girls leave for school or out for an activity , we always say , “ Guess how much I love you ” and it is always “ To the moon and back ”.
This is an Arabic storybook with 3 tales that my oldest daughter selected when she was 4 .
We have read it ever since . This is the Rapunzel story , The Frog and the Princess , and Snow White into one , in Arabic . Arabic can translate to English in so many ways . I remember this story that my mother would tell me in Arabic . I always thought there was a lovely princess with long hair in a tower that I could rescue . I listened to Snow White and her friends that helped her .
ARE YOU MY MOTHER by P . D . Eastman
This book showed so many differences between people , animals and things . We are in such a unique culture in the Middle East , that I believe this book helps children to understand that everyone is different . A child can feel sadness and excitement , hope , and perseverance .
No matter which book you choose , what really matters is that we are finding time to read with our children . We should always be looking for ways to connect . These books help me connect with my kids in a dialogue that they are trying to process through their imagination and curiosity .
Let us not allow this to end with the ‘ Year of Reading ’ – but rather let us develop a lifetime of reading with our children .