One Small Square, One Big Adventure

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

In the last post, I mentioned how delightful it is to find a book that teaches children important concepts and is beautifully illustrated.  In this post, and upcoming posts in'shaa Allaah, a series of books will be reviewed that also have these two attributes. The first book to be reviewed from the series is One Small Square.
 

There are so many things about this book that children can enjoy. The illustrations are beautiful, the tone makes readers feel as if they are being led through the woods by a tour guide who is carefully and quietly telling them about all of the wonderful things can be found in the woods - if only one is looking - and the activities are engaging and appeal to children's natural curiosity. The wonder doesn't end there. In the back of the book, in a black and white square, children are invited to find animals and insects that were featured in the book and there are several pages that picture and name the animals, insects, and plants that appeared in the book.

This is a book that you can read aloud to children, bits at a time, and then place in your home or classroom library and allow children to pour over the pages and discover so many ayaat of Allaah. This is also a book that can be enjoyed in every season because the author features the woods in each season and provides an activity (and in some seasons, activities) that children can complete independently in many cases.

Children in grades 1-4 may enjoy this book very, very much! There is only one point/sentence in the book that parents and/or teachers will need to modify: Educators will need to remind children that what occurs in the natural world only does so by the Permission of Allaah. Children must also be reminded that nature does not create anything nor does it sustain or provide for itself, independent of Allaah's Mercy or Permission.

From Amazon.com: The woods are full of puzzles to be solved, clues to be found. Inspired by this book's hints and fun-filled experiments and activities, and using only simple equipment, young readers unlock the closely guarded secrets of the woods­­ from the strange meetings of lazy butterflies, to the miraculous "walking" of a twig, to the riddle of why the leaves turn color and fall. One small square at a time, these "detectives" plunge deeper and deeper into ancient mysteries­­ without ever getting lost. Beautifully illustrated, Woods offers a picture field guide, a glossary-index, and a resource list.

Until the next book in'shaa Allaah....