Welcome to the World Baby in German and English

by Na'ima bint Robert

This book is PENpal enabled and you can download the audio file in German and English free from our FreeLINK software at www.mantralingua.com/uk All cultures celebrate the birth of a baby in different ways. When Tariq's mum has a baby boy the whole class celebrates. And as the children talk, at circle time, they each in turn tell how their families welcomed a new child into the world. A beautifull and sensitive exploration of the diversity of cultural and religious celebrations of a baby being welcomed into our world.

Genres: Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance]

Tariq's mom had a baby, and Tariq is eager to share with his teacher and his class how the family celebrated the arrival of Tariq's new baby brother. The teacher decides to use this experience as a jumping-off point for the class to share the ways their diverse families celebrated the arrival of new babies in their cultures. One girl brings a little red egg, and explains that the red color is an offering of good luck to a new baby. A boy shares an aloe leaf with the other students who taste the bitterness of the leaf, and then offers a pot of honey to the children who then taste the sweetness, a lesson to the new baby that life can be both bitter and sweet. Many other traditions are shared in the story, and readers can enjoy learning about the many ways new babies are celebrated around the world. As an added bonus, this book is available in twenty-eight different languages. Finding a story about the beautiful diverse traditions of welcoming a new baby into the world that is available in so many different languages is a delight.

Note: I read this book in English and Spanish.

[Linda Musiba]

This is a dual language book. It is great for many different aspects of learning. Having the words of a different language at the top and English at the bottom. I like this book very much.
‘Welcome to the world Baby’ is about how the different children celebrate the birth of a newborn in their family (their culture). Tariq’s’ Mother given birth and he brings in Dates for his class, which is what his family do to celebrate a child being born. The teacher asks the children to bring in things which do to celebrate a child being born, as long as they were to do with the five senses. The children are from different ethnic backgrounds and all have different ways in which they celebrate.

This book is based around awareness of cultural differences, allowing children to see and learn how other people live and do things. It shows children different cultural backgrounds, and how they are unique from one another although they may have the same accent, lives in the same area and like the same things. The book also is based around the five senses, giving children examples of types of things which relate to senses.

The book is very well illustrated and brings the story to life. Through the multicultural class, it promotes diversity. The mother is wearing Muslim clothing, and once again this promoting awareness of cultural/religious differences. Even if a child could not read or is an EAL child they would still be able to access information from this book from the good, clear, detailed illustrations.
I would use this book for EYFS in beginning to introduce them the cultural differences, I could use it to then lead on to asking them past events of them when they were even younger. I would also use it as a starting point for teaching children different types of senses. For key stage 2, after reading, we could then research on the purpose of why such things were done when a child was born and which countries carried them out.

[Kecia]

I not only read it in Hindi, but I also found a translation error. They used the Hindi word for sister instead of brother. And they did it twice. Oops! Still it was good reading practice.

[Gabriella]

Urdu and English.
Old style illustrations used. The book includes small chunks of writing in both languages. Good to use in PSHCE in all years especially younger years to explore and discuss the introduction of a new baby.

[Harriet Themans]

All cultures celebrate the birth of a baby in different ways. When Tariq's mum has a baby boy the whole class celebrates and as the children talk, at circle time, they each in turn tell how their families welcomed a new child into the world.

In English and Arabic.

[Safwan]

Methods of "what the Muslims do, when a baby is born" presented in a creative way.