Assalaamu alaikum Farhan,
Thank you for this suggestion. I have seen this book (smile. I've even helped a friend sell Usborne books!). It exists to teach many languages, like French or Spanish, too. I was initially rather interested in it... unfortunately, my children were not. You see, it consists of a series of detailed pictures with the word in the foreign language next to various objects in the picture. The pictures are engaging, but the children showed little interest in reading the words.
If a parent sits down with the child and discusses the words and pictures, this can make it more interesting.
For the non-native speaking families who would like to give their children some knowledge of Arabic, I would suggest holding off till your children can read and write comfortably in their native language, and then starting them on the Madinah Arabic Reader series by Dr. V. Abdur Rahim. You can get them from the publisher
www.goodwordbooks.com (and they have lots of other great books, too!), or probably through your local Islamic bookstore. It helps if the parent has a knowledge of Arabic, because there are a few errors (especially of omission. e.g. forgetting to define words). (smile) So while your little ones are growing…why not have a crack at Arabic yourself?
For native Arabic speakers, reading simple storybooks to your children (in Arabic), coupled with your cuddles and love, are the best way to go, in my opinion.
So basically, if you would like a beautifully illustrated book that you can explore with your children (as just one resource amongst many), this book is ok. But it's not likely to teach them much Arabic...
May Allah, the Source of all Guidance, Help us to teach our children well.
