An Arabic/Middle Eastern Story Hour!

40 Main Street,Freeport ME 04032

09 April, 2022

Description

Join us for a FREE Arabic/Middle Eastern themed Story Hour at Meetinghouse Arts! Join us for another fun hour of stories on a Saturday morning. This month's theme is Middle Eastern/Arabic culture. These stories are especially appropriate for children ages 5-9, though we welcome children of any age. After the stories stick around for an Arabic writing/drawing activity! Then join us for Music of the Middle East that evening. Please review the current Meetinghouse Arts COVID-19 Healthy & Safety Policy before attending: https://freeportartsandculture.org/meetinghouse-arts-covid-19-health-and-safety-policy/ (In short- masking and proof of vaccinations are required for those who are eligible.) Book Summaries: A Time to Pray Written by Maha Addasi Illustrated by Ned Gannon Published by Boyds Mills Press in 2010 A visit with Grandmother in the Middle East is always special for Yasmin, but this time it is even more so in this picture book about faith and family. On her first night visiting her grandmother, Yasmin is wakened by the muezzin at the nearby mosque calling the faithful to prayer. She watches from her bed as her grandmother prepares to pray. During her stay, Yasmin's grandmother makes her prayer clothes, buys her a prayer rug, and teaches her the five prayers that Muslims perform over the course of a day. When it's time for Yasmin to board a plane and return home, her grandmother gives her a present. When Yasmin opens the present when she gets home, she discovers a prayer clock in the shape of a mosque, with an alarm that sounds like a muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Maha Addasi's warm and endearing story, richly illustrated by Ned Gannon, is the recipient of an Arab American Book Award, Honor Book. Featuring text both in English and Arabic, this is a perfect title for children learning more about Middle Eastern cultures and language. The Arabic Quilt Written by by Aya Khalil Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan Published by Tilbury House Publishers in 2020 Kanzi's family has moved from Egypt to America, and on her first day in a new school, what she wants more than anything is to fit in. Maybe that's why she forgets to take the kofta sandwich her mother has made for her lunch, but that backfires when Mama shows up at school with the sandwich. Mama wears a hijab and calls her daughter Habibti (dear one). When she leaves, the teasing starts. That night, Kanzi wraps herself in the beautiful Arabic quilt her teita (grandma) in Cairo gave her and writes a poem in Arabic about the quilt. Next day her teacher sees the poem and gets the entire class excited about creating a "quilt" (a paper collage) of student names in Arabic. In the end, Kanzi's most treasured reminder of her old home provides a pathway for acceptance in her new one. This authentic story with beautiful illustrations includes a glossary of Arabic words and a presentation of Arabic letters with their phonetic English equivalents. A Child's Picture Dictionary: English/Arabic (English and Arabic Edition) Written and illustrated by Dennis Sheheen Published by KTAV Publishing House in 1985 An Arabic/English picture dictionary with an illustrated section of words accompanying each letter of the alphabet. Illustrations are identified in both languages. Readers:Mr. Saker was born in Damascus, Syria. He came to the United States when he was 20 years old to study Engineering. He knew only a few words in English at that time. He became a United States citizen in 1995. Mrs. Saker was born in St.Albans, Vermont. She met Mr. Saker when they were students at the University of Maine in Orono. Mrs. Saker is a nurse. They live in North Yarmouth and have a son and a daughter who are now 28 years old. This event is FREE, though Donations are always welcome.