An ABC Escapade through Egypt

I was always an avid reader and book-lover, but it was through my graduate studies that I truly realized the importance of children's literature – and the importance and effectiveness of teaching language to children using books with content familiar to the readers. I had few of those books available to me as a teacher in Cairo. I always remember trying to teach a third grade class how to play baseball just so they could understand and enjoy a story from our textbook. As I learned in my university courses and read story after story with my students, I was inspired by these young readers who willingly listened to, learned from, and even delighted in stories about snow, Thanksgiving, armadillos, enchiladas, and backyards. Not once did we read about Ramadan or sporting clubs or bowls of steaming lentil soup. And yet my students always asked for another book. Slowly, ideas for books written specifically for my Egyptian students began bubbling in my brain...and eventually started to find their way to paper, not only to entertain and educate my local students, but students around the world!