My First Kurdish Books Have Arrived!
Hi, I’m Azad. Like many Kurdish parents raising children in Western countries – I was born and live in Sydney, Australia, myself – I’ve often wished for more resources to share our beautiful language and culture. For a while now, I’ve been quietly working on something I hope will fill a small part of that gap. What started as an idea for a single book soon blossomed, partly because I do enjoy a good challenge, into an entire series! So, after a period of intense learning and creation, I’m proud to present a collection of bilingual English-Kurmanji books designed specifically for young learners.
Today, I’m truly thrilled (and admittedly, a little nervous!) to announce the launch of the very first collection in this endeavor: My First Kurdish Books.
These books are created with children aged 3 to 8 in mind. Each one is thoughtfully filled with everyday words, vibrant and engaging images, and clear, side-by-side translations in both English and Kurmanji. The heart behind this series is simple: to help our little ones connect with the Kurdish language in a natural, joyful, and accessible way – one word, one picture, one shared reading moment at a time. It’s about making language learning feel like a discovery, not a chore.
We’re kicking things off with these initial eight titles (yes, eight to start – I quickly realized one wouldn’t be enough!). Each book is part of the “My First Kurdish Books” series and is individually titled “My First X in Kurdish”:
- My First Words in Kurdish
- My First Animals in Kurdish
- My First Foods in Kurdish
- My First Colors in Kurdish
- My First Numbers in Kurdish
- My First Opposites in Kurdish
- My First Vehicles in Kurdish
- My First Sentences in Kurdish
Every book in this initial set is designed to be simple, interactive, and crafted with a great deal of care and love. This whole project has been a solo journey – from the initial writing and translation to the design, building this website, and figuring out the marketing. It’s been an incredible learning curve, and I’ve gained immense respect for all the diverse skills involved in bringing books like these to life. I initially made them with my own son in mind – he’s still a little young to dive in fully right now, but he was often my little co-pilot, sitting on my lap as I worked, his tiny hands constantly reaching for the keyboard, making me double and triple-check everything for accidental “contributions”! I can’t wait for the day we can explore these pages together. Beyond my own family, my deepest hope is that these books find their way into many Kurdish homes around the world, becoming a helpful tool for families like ours wanting to nurture and keep our precious language alive for the next generation.
Currently, these books are available in paperback format on Amazon. In the future, I’m exploring options like hardcover editions, ebooks, and perhaps even audio companions to make them even more accessible and engaging, but for now, the focus has been on getting these foundational print versions into your hands.
And what’s next on the horizon?
The list of ideas and dreams for this project is constantly growing! I envision creating collections of bedtime stories, joke books tailored for different age groups, and even sharing inspiring tales of Kurdish heroes in a way that children can understand and connect with. Some of these future books are already in the early stages of development, while others are still just sparks of an idea waiting for the right moment. It’s an exciting journey, and the possibilities feel vast.
But for today, the most important thing is this: the first set of books is complete.
They’re real. They’re ready to be held and read.
And I’m so incredibly excited to share them with you and your family. Thank you for joining me on this adventure.
Thanks for being here,
Azad (Ayden) Mich