Yasser often cries without saying what he wants, which annoys his parents. His mother teaches Yasser to specify what he wants instead of crying… until, one day, Yasser comes to his mother with an odd request.

Battout, the little duckling, and his brothers and sisters are playing and having fun. Then a green creature comes to join them. Will he find a place between them? How this simple and amusing tale would end?

Children will delight in following Eric Carle's vibrant, original illustrations and moving like the wild animals in this book—bending, turning, stomping, and wiggling right along with the colorful characters.

Eric Carle started drawing when he was a little boy and has asserted that he “will never stop being a scribbler.” Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, he spent his early childhood in America before moving to Germany at the age of six. Carle learned German and studied at the prestigious Academy of Visual Arts before fulfilling his dream of returning to the U.S. in 1952. After working as a graphic designer and art director of an advertising agency, Carle collaborated with Bill Martin, Jr. on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, launching his remarkable career as a beloved children's book illustrator. Since then Carle has also written and illustrated many well-known titles such as The Grouchy Ladybug and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Nursery rhymes are found in all cultures of the world. They are a child's first introduction to literature and poetry. They stimulate children's brain development in areas such as counting, number recognition, vocabulary building, and memorization, but most importantly, they develop a child's sense of humor and enhance their ability to differentiate reality from make-believe. Some rhymes lull children to sleep; others make them laugh; others strengthen the bond between parent and child. Some rhymes inform the child and connect them to their past while others make games more fun. All-in-all rhymes are a bridge between generations, a legacy that we carry from the past and pass on to our children. In this set of three books we have collected 34 rhymes and put them in three categories: counting rhymes, rhymes about jobs and occupations, and silly rhymes.

Traditional rhymes reflect the customs and lifestyles of the culture. The richness of the rhymes comes from the different layers of meaning in many of them. Included are rhymes that are connected to certain celebrations like the rhyme "Seven Camels." This rhyme was recited to children by the mother or grandmother when their first tooth appeared. The mother promises to load seven camels with nuts and good things to eat in celebration of the first tooth. Traditionally a special sweet called "snoonieh" is served to guests. The camels in the rhyme are loaded with ingredients like different nuts which are used to garnish this special sweet for the occasion.

Another rhyme is about a child's first haircut. The mother recites this rhyme to show how much she loves her child and her great expectations for them when they grow up; she hopes they will be the shaykh of all shaykhs. On one level the modern child will enjoy the rhyme as a rhyme about a barber and a haircut, but if one digs deeper one can understand and appreciate the occasion that the rhyme celebrates.