Making Sense of Arabic Storybooks
What is it about Arabic Stories that make you want to understand them, narrate them, and spread the love for them like no other?
Let’s be honest with ourselves, as non-Arabs we do not have a direct cultural need to read Arabic Stories, especially the ones designed for children. If I am looking for leisure reading and colorful content, English Storybooks have it all.
Why then are we so “desperate”? Yes, I use this word, because if you let the cooling winds of childhood literacy touch you for too long, you will also settle for the cheaper and easily available language of choice. Yet, day in and out, we are organizing, collaborating, and learning with different publishers, storytellers, teachers, and parents to push one agenda. Let us get our children to love Arabic Storybooks.
Strange yet true.
Of course, we like to think there is a religious aspect to this learning. However, how many of us really connect it to that higher-order understanding? How can silly stories and animal characters take me to an advanced form of comprehension anyway? Not true. What we sow we reap. We are vested in being adequate in a superpower language, yet we don’t see the need to invest in unconventional ways of learning the language of “the superpower”. Not bringing in the scholarship aspect of fluency and practice, the nudge is to trust in choices that are working.
Very often we come across parents who do not know how to take their child’s interest in Arabic to the next level. We tell them, to work with us, and let us share a space for exchanging ideas. Yet, the pushback from the community is overwhelming.
Our time is rarely valued! We are quick to bring Arabic into the fold of religious studies and dismiss the high prices of hard work and fruitful learning. Should it not be for an ultimate cause anyway – is the response more than often.
Yet again, year after year we stand in front of our choices, wishing our children grew better at understanding. Filling out forms is just the beginning. What we need is active involvement. Show up! Pay the full price when you can afford to. Bring two more friends along if you are capable of that. Share your books if you have so many. Go that extra mile to work as a community of Arabic-loving children. Bring out that Ihsan and support creative businesses. Are we doing the best we can?
Blog post by: Juwaeriah Siddiqui, Founder of Arabically
Arabically had the opportunity to organize a Storysession, Parent Tour, and workshop at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival” in May 2023. You can learn more about our top 10 Arabic Book Publishers here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsEJ_5sgqdc/?hl=en
Are you heading to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair from May 22 – 28 2023 being held in Abu Dhabi, UAE?
Arabically has collaborated with our favorite Arabic Book Publishers (local and international) to give our Abu Dhabi community some exciting discounts on Children’s Books. All you need to get the vouchers is to fill out our Annual Parent Survey.
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