THE YELLOW COW
By The Jolly Animals
BOOK REVIEW + FREE PRINTABLE
I know many of you wonder how you can introduce young children to Islam and the Quran?
Or what age is the best time to start teaching your child about Islam?
And I always say, it’s never too early to start, BUT you have to do it in a way that is age appropriate.
So in the beginning I find it best to focus on what children naturally find appealing. Then find ways to link or incorporate that into Islamic teachings.
This is exactly what the book The Yellow Cow sets out to achieve.
INTRODUCING QURANIC THEMES
The Yellow Cow is a sweet little board book that cleverly transforms content from the Quran into rhyming verses to teach children about differences, colours and self love.
The narrative draws it’s inspiration from the verses of Surah Baqarah (The Quran 2:67-71):
They said, “Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is.” [Moses] said, “[Allah] says, ‘It is a cow which is neither old nor virgin, but median between that,’ so do what you are commanded.” (The Quran 2:68)
They said, “Call upon your Lord to show us what is her color.” He said, “He says, ‘It is a yellow cow, bright in color – pleasing to the observers.’ ” (The Quran 2:69)
….”He says, ‘It is a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, one free from fault with no spot upon her.’ ” (The Quran 2:71)
The text is then brought to life through the adorable main character using bright, bold illustrations that instantly appeal to children’s love of cartoons.
Plus the book even comes with a sheet of Yellow Cow stickers too!
FROM DREAM TO REALITY
Originally The Yellow Cow started out as a crowdfunding project by a talented Husband and Wife duo, Kais and Lama.
Based in Australia, with backgrounds in teaching and design, they had a desire to introduce their own children to Islamic concepts in a way that was fun and engaging.
So under the name “The Jolly Animals” they set out to create and publish their own series of picture books.
The fundraising campaign for The Yellow Cow was a great success! So much so that it was decided to create a version in Arabic, translated by Kais’s father.
However tragically the translated version was left unfinished…
In September, my father passed away of a sudden brain stroke, leaving behind an unfinished Arabic draft of The Yellow Cow book. In Ramadan 2019, We successfully crowdfunded the first edition print of The Yellow Cow in Arabic! This campaign was our chance to gift my father’s soul an ongoing charity of beneficial knowledge.
– Kais Al Kaissi
Fortunately again with the support of crowd funding they were able to fulfil the legacy that was left behind.
Now The Yellow Cow is available in Arabic as well!
MORE THAN JUST A BOOK!
Now I couldn’t possibly do a review of this book without mentioning the adorable plush Yellow Cow that is also available. My youngest son loooved the fact that he could snuggle with his very own little Yellow Cow!
Having the addition of a cuddly plush character really helps the story come to life. It also provides an opportunity for children to bond with the character and develop further interest in stories from the Quran.
The Yellow Cow is a cute story about being proud to be unique. The first book in a series featuring animals from the Quran and other Holy books, I know we’ll be looking forward to meeting the rest of the characters…
Rumour has it that the next book will feature a dog!
EXTENDED LEARNING ACTIVITY
BONUS FREE PRINTABLE!
To help reinforce the lessons learnt from the story of The Yellow Cow, I’ve created a fun activity for children to further explore the joy of being unique.
Simply download and print my free “Create A Cow” activity for your child to make their very own special little cow! Have them colour and decorate the design, then cut out the pieces and glue together to create a 3D cow.
But you don’t have to stop at just one. Why not create whole herd of beautifully unique cows to display!
Download the Create A Cow activity here.
IMPORTANT: These free resources are for PERSONAL USE ONLY and you may use them with your students. YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO EDIT, SELL, TRANSLATE OR DISTRIBUTE ANY LITTLE WINGS CREATIVE DESIGNS. All designs and work is protected by ©Copyright Law and remains the property of Little Wings Creative Co.
Remember to share your creative little cows with us too! My kids and I would love to see them. Just tag us on instagram with @little.wings.creative
I’m sure you and your little one will enjoy this book and activity as much as we did.
If you’d love to get a copy of The Yellow Cow (and the adorable plush cow!) it’s available at jollyanimals.com.
Have you read The Yellow Cow or tried the free printable? Share your opinion and let others know what your child thought of it in the comments below.
NOTE: ALL PRINTABLE DOWNLOADS ARE FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE OR RE-SALE.
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