My First Book of Hindi Words: An ABC Rhyming Book of Hindi Language and Indian Culture

by Rina Singh, Farida Zaman (Illustrator)

Overview

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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462918669
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Series:	My First Words
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

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. To learn more about her visit www.rinasingh.com

Illustrator bio:
Farida Zaman is an award winning illustrator producing illustrations for magazines, newspapers, wrapping paper, greetings cards, and billboards. She also uses her fun and colorful artwork to bring picture books to life. She lives with her family and fluffy dog—Pippa—and works from her home studio in Toronto. To see more of her work go to www.faridazaman.com

Editorial Reviews

A colorful book to either introduce or reinforce Hindi language lessons for the lower elementary set. —School Library Journal

Hindi-English bilingual parents will be thrilled with this primer that introduces Hindi words that match the English alphabet…This is part of a series of alphabet books that reinforces the beauty and importance of learning about many languages and cultures. —Booklist

"The vibrant colors and fun Indian illustrations of this book lure in both kids and adults! This is an excellent book to get kids excited and introduced to learn Hindi. —Shubhra Ramineni, author of Entice with Spice and Healthy Indian Vegetarian Cooking"

"This book gently introduces young children to Hindi words using an ABC rhyming format. The words are written in the Devanagri script as well as a handy transliteration. Perfect for beginners, it provides a window to basic language and key images for those visiting India for the first time (including the little ones!). —KitaabWorld.com"

"It's a hardcover book, filled with bright and bold illustrations that incorporate aspects of Indian culture, along with the regular childhood things common to kids around the world. There's a lovely feeling of movement and emotions throughout the book that add to its character. —Castle View Academy blog"

These books work for younger kids and also help teach ABC's. They are a series of ABC rhyming books about Asian languages and culture. Each book has information about how certain letters in the language are pronounced…The books have colorful illustrations and rhyming information using the word from the language of the book and its English version as well as a bit about the word in the particular culture. —Crafty Moms Share blog

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
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

School Library Journal