There is a pronunciation guide near the start which, I have to admit, didn’t help my pronunciation much, but this is to be expected, as it is something that can really only be mastered through actually hearing it. So I would advise you not to worry too much about grasping this. At this stage it is enough learning to recognise the letters and their approximate sounds, which is facilitated by the accompanying transliterations.

The Arabic script itself in this book is very clear and easy to read. There is also a very useful little chart (which I still sometimes refer to) showing how each letter is written as an initial, medial and final letter in a word (some letters change quite drastically, depending on where they are in the word).

The format and exercises are very much like a children’s activity book, but its simplicity actually makes the learning process so much easier and enjoyable.

Bear in mind that this book is more of a vehicle for familiarising yourself with the Arabic script than to teach you particularly useful words or phrases. I definitely recommend that those wanting to learn Arabic begin with this book before tackling a more detailed course. As a follow-up, I would recommend ‘Mastering Arabic’, also by Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar.