The Bella & Harry series, written by Lisa Manzione and illustrated by Kristine Lucco, is about sibling chihuahuas who visit different countries with their family. In Bella & Harry: Let's Visit Istanbul, we join them on a trip to Turkey. We visit various mosques, bazaars, and keep a lookout for magic flying carpets!
As someone who grew up traveling, I love how this series introduces different cultures and languages to young readers in a very accessible way. Children learn basic words/phrases in context in the story, and are provided a glossary in back.
The beautiful illustrations give us even more context, from the beautiful colors of spices at the market to the Blue Mosque. We also learn about things like Turkish Delight! Which, of course, I knew about from The Chronicles of Narnia. I tried making it from scratch having never tried it...epic fail. I do see it at a local grocery store from time to time...should probably try it that way...
Even grown-ups can take something away from this book and others in the series! I actually hadn't known about the Bosphorus Bridge, and learned that it's the bridge that connects Asia to Europe. Let's Visit Istanbul is the ninth book in this series, and I look forward to reading the rest! Even though I'm not the biggest chihuahua fan (I had a babysitter who had a very mean one- Bella & Harry seem legit, though).
I would recommend this to parents and children who are interested in travel, languages, cultures, and of course- dogs!
The Adventures of Bella & Harry series is published by Bella & Harry, LLC. Digital review copy provided by NetGalley.
No comments:
Post a Comment