My First Book of Hindi Words: An ABC Rhyming Book of Hindi Language and Indian Culture (My First Book Of...-miscellaneous/English) - Hardcover

Singh, Rina

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080484562X ISBN 13: 9780804845625

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, 2016

Synopsis

My First Book of Hindi Words is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces young children to Hindi language and Indian culture through everyday words.

Organized as an ABC rhyming book, My First Book of Hindi Words incorporates common Hindi words into charming English-language rhymes, beginning with: "A is for Akash. A sky so blue where little birds fly and big planes, too," and on through "Z is for Zukhaam. Achoo! I sneeze. I must have a cold. Mama, hug me please!" Winsome, full-color pictures illustrate each word and allow even very young readers to make their first foray into India's official language. A helpful glossary at the end makes it easy for readers—including parents and teachers—to review what they've learned!

With the help of this book, we hope more children (and adults) will soon be a part of the 300 million people worldwide that speak Hindi!

About this title

About the Author

Rina Singh is an internationally published author of many critically acclaimed picture books. Her book — A Forest of Stories has been translated into several languages including Spanish and Korean. She grew up in India, learning and loving Hindi. She now lives in Toronto, Canada.

Farida Zaman is an Illustrator of many children's picture books, book jackets and educational textbooks. She has worked for clients in the UK, USA and Canada. Trained in the UK, her global background has given her insight into different cultures that offers an advantage to illustrate certain topics and stories. Farida has received recognition for her work and has won awards in Europe and North America. She lives with her husband, daughter and son in Toronto and works from her home studio.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—An introduction to 26 simple Hindi words arranged in the order of the English alphabet. Each word appears in Devanagari script at the top of the page, then in Roman letters, followed by a short, rhyming stanza that defines the word contextually. Each rhyme begins with the Hindi word ("A is for akaash") and then uses the English equivalent in a sentence. Both words appear in boldface. No help with pronunciation is offered, and though most words will likely not be a challenge (e.g., tara), there are trickier ones (qadam, haathi). Bright, cartoonish acrylics depict a girl and her brother. The boy rides an elephant, spins a top, and flies a kite, while the girl drinks chai, swings, and dances. Both are shown reading, celebrating Holi, and catching mangos together. The author explains in the preface that Hindi is not the only language spoken in India and that Hindi is a "living language" impacted by English, Urdu, and more. She also notes that her vocabulary selections were based on terms children in India would likely use in their everyday lives. VERDICT A colorful book to either introduce or reinforce Hindi language lessons for the lower elementary set.—Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly of St. George's School, Newport, RI

Edition details

• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080484562X
• ISBN 13: 9780804845625
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Zaman Farida
• Number of pages: 32