Hector and the Humming Bird

ABOUT THE BOOK
FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Hector and the Humming Bird

Written and illustrated by Nicholas John Frith Publisher: Dar al-Huda

Hector the Bear (“Dahdah” in the Arabic version) has a big problem: His friend Hummingbird just won’t be quiet! Whether Hector’s trying to enjoy a snack, get a good scratch against a tree, or take a nap, Hummingbird’s always buzzing around, asking too many questions. The pair have always been best friends, but will Hector ever find peace and quiet with Hummingbird around? A story about acceptance and love of friends.

Family Activities

Do the personalities of Hector and Hummingbird make your family laugh? Maybe, you have a curious and energetic child who keeps following his/her parents and older siblings and asking questions all day! Your child may well be like Hummingbird in the story, full of amazement at everything new he ...

Video

Your child may well be like Hummingbird in the story, full of amazement at everything new he sees, wanting to learn about it. This is instinctive for children. Of course, he/she does not mean to bother you, but your child sees you, parents and older siblings, as a source for knowledge. Through your behavior, he/she learns how to gain social skills and knowledge.

But we need to remind Hummingbird that his parents need their space to manage their own affairs and enjoy time with their friends, just as he does.

Dear Parents,

We share with you some thoughts for activities with your child regarding this book.

Family Activities

Have a conversation with your child, about what annoyed Hector about his friend Hummingbird’s behavior, and the opposite. What did each one feel?
Sometimes members of a family need to spend time alone. You can talk with your child about the things he/she likes to do alone, and to tell him/her about some things you like to do alone.
Hector and Hummingbird in the family! Each one of you can imitate one of these two actors and act out similar situations that might happen in the family, such as following the older brother with everything he does, or keep asking the parents questions. Mostly, these situations end by getting mad at the child, which makes him upset. This is an opportunity for you to talk with your child about things that he likes to do with you, or with other family members.
The illustrations in the book are “comics”. We can look with our child about places that use this type of illustration for a specific message or telling a story (such as ads, children magazines, etc…). Maybe your child would like to write a book using comics to describe something that happened in the family.

"دحداح وطنّان" كتابٌ عن أشخاص نحبّهم، رغم أنّهم أحيانًا يسبّبون لنا بعض الضّيق، ويثيرون تأفّفنا. لا بدّ أنّك تعرفين أشخاصًا كهؤلاء في محيط العائلة أو الأصدقاء، كذلك يعرفهم أطفال بستانك، وقد يتواصلون معهم يوميًا.

كم مرّة سمعتِ شكوى من طفلٍ عن صديقه في البستان الّذي يقلّده في كلّ فعلٍ، ويتبعه كظلّه؟ العديد من أطفال بستانك قد يتصرّفون كطنّان مع إخوتهم الأكبر سنًّا منهم، فيحشرون أنفسهم في لقاءاتهم بأصدقائهم، ويلاحقونهم بالأسئلة المتكرّرة ممّا يثير حنق الإخوة الكبار!