Welcoming Words

Book excerpt: Become a smarter, stronger, and kinder friend with Sesame Street! Big Bird, Elmo, and their international friends help kids learn how to welcome others in Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Hebrew, and Mandarin Chinese. Beginning with an explanation of how to read Arabic from right to left, readers explore words such as "Hello" (Mar-HAB-aan) and "Please" (Ra-ja). Arabic script is shown along with phonetic pronunciation. Discover French words from pets to family members so you can learn to be meilleurs amis (best friends). Lass uns spielen! Let's play - with friends who speak German. Words for everyday things like toys and numbers help us become freunds (friends). Readers are first introduced to how to read Hebrew from right to left, then to words like friendship (kha-ve-RUT) and thank you (to-DA). Hebrew text is shown along with phonetic pronunciation. After a brief overview of pinyin and rising and falling pitch, readers learn words and phrases like "Will you be my friend?" and "You are welcome." Chinese characters are shown along with a pinyin pronunciation guide. Hola y bienvenido! Readers learn welcoming words, including colors and emotions, so they can make friends who speak Spanish. Featuring languages commonly spoken in the US as well as in refugee camps and resettled communities, Welcoming Words gives readers new language tools to become smarter, kinder friends.