‘Zahara’s Days Out’
In English and with Urdu to English Transliteration
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Book 1: One sunny morning me and mummy went to the park. The park was full of other children playing all different games. Some were playing football, some cricket and some just running around. Book 2: As I sat down to eat breakfast my mummy told me that the Dentist was going to examine my teeth to see if they are healthy. I was a little worried. Book 3: It was the weekend and me, mummy and daddy were all eating breakfast. My daddy looked at me and said “Zahara would you like to go to the zoo today?”. I replied “yes” very happily. Book 4: When the train started moving I felt really excited. After a short while I felt hungry so my mummy opened my packed lunch and I ate my sandwiches. Shortly after, the train stopped at a station. It was not the station we needed so we stayed seated.
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Book Details
About the Book
Zahara is a young girl who similar to other children enjoys going out, visiting people and seeing new things. There are times when Zahara has fun and times when Zahara has to learn new and difficult things. But one thing for sure is that Zahara’s day to day experiences are full of new and exciting adventures. The stories illustrate Zahara’s thoughts and feelings, her fears and her excitement depending on what she is about to experience. Any child reader or listener will be able to relate to Zahara and learn new and different ways of how to behave, act or respond to different situations. The stories highlight the importance of family relations, respect and love for parents/adults, and the significance of children possessing certain characteristics such as having patience, good listening skills and the ability to adapt. In essence the stories display the concept of cause and effect in the form of behaviour/action and reward. The transliteration element of the stories is a means of guiding both a bilingual child and a non-native Urdu speaking child into the world learning to speak Urdu with eloquence, confidence and meaning. These simple yet illustrative stories include a variety of language features such as, adjectives, verbs, imagery, emotions and nouns. Each story introduces language focused on a certain theme with the objective to develop topic specific vocabulary, whilst allowing the child to become more familiar with the Urdu grammatical structure. Ultimately the stories have been written for children in order to educate and entertain them in an innovative way. The simple yet detailed vocabulary is supported by very modest and natural illustrations that endeavour to engage a young reader in an imaginative yet practical way. Find out: What treat Zahara gets at the park... What fear Zahara overcomes at the dentist... What reward Zahara receives at the zoo What obstacles Zahara has to face on the way to her Grandma’s...
About the Author
About the Author: After studying for a BA (Hons) in Media and BSc (Hons) in Speech and Language Therapy Nadia was inspired to write a collection of short stories for children centred around her daughter. After years of research in language acquisition Nadia concluded that bilingualism needs to be introduced and encouraged from a young age. At present Nadia is working with adults who have sustained some form of neurological injury and provides specialist support to those who are not able to understand or fluently express themselves in English. This role has strengthened her belief that language is more than just a means of communication but rather a means of connecting with individuals in any given dynamic. Nadia’s personal experiences have led her to believe that a second language can help you be part of more than one community and you can almost help bridge gaps that may exist due to communication barriers. Positive development of bilingualism in children can build confidence, improve social ties and open opportunities in adult life. Nadia hopes to entertain and educate young children using simple but interesting scenarios that any child can relate to. About the Illustrator: Ned Pooler is a Fine Art student at university who commits a vast amount of his time to painting, drawing and photography. Ned enjoys creating his own pieces of art as he feels it allows him to express himself. As a pastime Ned likes to experiment with photography and different types of film. Ned became acquainted with Nadia through his mother who she currently works with. Ned’s style of simple but detailed illustrations attractively compliment Nadia’s format of children’s story writing. Together they hope to entertain and engage a young audience by presenting learning as fun.