Salwa What Shall We Play Now? Written by Taghreed Najjar Illustrated by Charlotte Shama
Parent and Teacher guide Samar and her friend Raya have a lovely time playing with a green piece of cloth given to them by Samar’s Mom. With a little bit of imagination Samar transforms herself into a superheroine, and a brave Bedoine woman. Raya becomes a beautiful butterfly that flits from flower to flower and a Mahraja. The green piece of cloth is then transformed into Sinbad’s sail and off they go to explore the high seas.
This story celebrates the imagination and creativity of children. The story is written in simple rhyme, with predictable language that is fun for kids to repeat. It helps to make reading easier and more fun. For Discussion: - What does a seamstress do? - What tools does she need to do her job? - What kind of business needs seamstresses? - How do you spend your free time? - What is your favorite game? - Have you ever played a pretend game?
- What did you pretend to be or do? Was it fun? - What did Samar and Raya do with the cloth? - If you have a piece of cloth what other things would you do with it? - What do you find more fun, playing imaginary games or digital games? About the Author Taghreed Najjar is a 2019 nominee for the Astrid Lindgren award and a several-time winner and short list of the Etisalat Prize for Arabic Children’s Literature.
Her most recent award, YA book of the year (2019) was for her title Whose Doll is This? With a portfolio spanning 4 decades, Taghreed – a multifaceted author - writes picture books, middle grade, and young adult books. Her picture books have become classics that are read and enjoyed by generations. While her YA novels have found great success in addressing difficult subjects reflecting political and cultural realities in the region. Several of Najjar’s books have been recommended by The White Ravens and several have been translated to languages including English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, French and Turkish. About the Illustrator Charlotte is a French illustrator, married to a Palestinian.
