I Say As-salamu 'Alaykum

"Both of these books are part of theGood Little Deedscollection (there were two others released last year). These books serve several purposes — young children learn a small lesson in manners, it exposes children to Arabic phrases, and each book contains a few counting activities. In the storyI Say Mashallah, two young children named Nabil and Noura are on a camping trip with their father. While they are enjoying the beautiful view from their campsite, their father tells them that this is an appropriate time to say

“Mashallah”

. This is an Arabic phrase which is translated as

“God has willed”

and is used to show appreciation or joy for something. Throughout the camping trip, Nabil and Noura use this term while rolling in the grass, watching a beautiful sunset, or gazing at the nighttime sky filled with the moon and stars. The bookI Say As-Salamu ‘Alaykumis similar, but in the story, they children use this phrase as a kind greeting to people and animals they see during their day. The translation of this Arabic phrase is

“Peace be upon you”

. Noura sees Nabil saying this to others in the neighborhood and he explains that this is a kind greeting you say to others to wish for their peace and happiness. Noura then says this greeting to a butterfly, ladybug, snail, and a rabbit. These books are perfect for the very young child. They are sturdy, colorful and the pages are filled with interesting illustrations of objects familiar to children (birds, butterflies, fish, playground). There are a few games scattered throughout where children are asked to count something on the page, however, this could really be done on several of the pages due to the illustrations.