This fun new twist on “The House that Jack Built” uses the same style of building sentences on to a repeated story that the classic uses, as well as the silliness of it all, but is made unique with the Middle Eastern setting and cultural aspects.

The 8.5 x 11 size gives ample room to see the fun engaging illustrations that bring the comical rhymes to life in both small to medium sized groups.  I won a digital version, and will probably end up purchasing a paperback copy for my bookshelf, as the pictures and text will be easier to pour over in physical form.

The book is 22 pages of text and perfect for toddlers to listen to, on up to 2nd or 3rd graders to read on their own and still be entertained.  There is nothing religious about the book, the boy is named Moustafa obviously, and there is a girl whose veil is the climax of the story, but nothing in the text is religion specific.

It all starts out with a tray on the mighty head of Moustafa.   Upon that tray is bread stacked and spread that goes with cake that was quick to bake, and before you know it, there is an aunty who rode a donkey next to a child with a veil, and then a nail, oh that tricky nail that caught the veil. . .

Moustafa and his tray and everything along the way are all brought to a tumbling halt, all because of a nail. The crash and falling down undoes the entire build up, and the smiling face of Moustafa makes you want to read it all over again.

Alhumdulillah!