Thank you!!!, December 2, 2013I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have a first grader who was behind in writing and still made his letters backwards. With the help of the tools in this book he no longer writes his letters backwards. I love walking by the table and hearing him sing the songs to help him remember. This was such a HUGE asset to his learning. I look forward to reading more from this author.
An interesting way to help children learn., November 1, 2013Writing Without Reversing in One Week is an interesting book which is supposed to help children with writing their numbers and letters correctly. As a former preschool teacher, I was very interested in this book. I liked the use of color and I really enjoyed using music as a tool to help children remember which way each letter and number faces. Showing the numbers and letters with faces also makes them look friendlier and maybe less daunting to a young child. Since I do not have a child this age to share this book with, I cannot say how effective it was, but I would say that it would probably help.
As far as the video goes, I enjoyed the beautiful children and the lovely music that was definitely written for a young child. The one thing that bothered me about the video was that when the children were showing which hand was their right and which was their left, I think it could be confusing to a child who wouldn’t understand that their hands would have a mirrored effect. When the little boy was holding up his right hand, if a child looking at the screen raised what he thought would be the same hand, it would actually be his left which I find confusing, so I think it may be confusing for a young child. I think a parent would have to instill the left and right before seeing the video. The words to the song, however, would then help them remember which way each number or letter faces.
Anything that can help make writing easier for children is a wonderful thing. I’ve seen a lot of children struggle and I applaud Samar Hatoum and her daughter, Julia for writing this book. Helping a child succeed at an early age can shape the way they see learning. Instead of being afraid and feeling unsuccessful, a child can feel like they can conquer the world.
Great Book, October 28, 2013I thought that I would be able to teach my 3yo son how to write by using this book, but after reading the entire thing, I realized that this book is for children who already know how to write. The title of the book was also confusing to me until I acutally read the book. I think it’s a great way to teach children how to write letters and numbers in the correct direction and I’m sure this book will come in hand once my son learns how to write. I wasn’t a big fan of the youtube videos.
Makes learning fun!, October 26, 2013My nephew who is 5 has a hard time writing his numbers and letters and seems to write them backwards more often than not. I got this book hoping that it would help him and it definitely did! He was engaged in the youtube videos, and now when he is at the table trying to write his letters he sings the song to help him remember. This was such an invaluable investment into his learning! I am looking forward to more books by this author!
Book review by Rayan Sheety, Mr. Sheety is a prominent reporter at the UAE newspaper “The Gulf Today”.
“With a charismatic nature and a true story of strife turned golden, Samar Hatoum’s first book comes with a loaded story about turning a morose situation into a golden opportunity. Hatoum decided to use her own trials and turn it into a book that not only works; it actually challenges the young children it is tailored to by encouraging to embrace the letters and numbers that trouble them, making them friends with the characters rather than the chore that they tend to be.
The book sets out to accomplish in one week or less what it takes some children over two years to overcome through the use of the simple tool of direction. A family project from inception to execution, Hatoum’s clear instructions, accompanied with cute illustrations and an even cuter song meant to be taught, learnt and to guide the young minds through the process, make this book a surefire method to correct writing for children who have trouble with reversing their numbers and letters.
It can take children up to 2 years to fully overcome reversed writing, and thus the learning process is stunted for those 2 years. If applied correctly, this book can eliminate the problem within a week’s time. If you link the dots this book spells revolution in many ways”.