Randa Taftaf & Maz Galini - Zaydo Potato Series
Randa is a bilingual, Syrian-American born in Youngstown, Ohio. She grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Damascus, Syria at the age of 14. She now lives in Florida with her husband and son, Zayd.
Equipped with a fiery passion for languages and a MEd in Foreign Language Education, Randa is a seasoned foreign language instructor of 17 years and counting. Over the course of her career, she has managed and led exemplary ESL programs, actively trained ESL instructors, developed a curriculum for the teaching of Arabic as a Second Language and much more. As an American of Syrian heritage, she strives to bridge the cultures of the east and west through education and storytelling both inside and outside her classrooms and even in her own home. Consequently, she founded Rummana Publishing Inc. with her husband Maz to educate, empower, and inspire. Follow her work on Instagram and Facebook @randataftaf.
Maz is a Lebanese-American polyglot. Fluent in four languages: English, Arabic, French, and Spanish, Maz can step inside the mind and context of other cultures easily. Maz prefers to connect cultures and express himself more creatively through his work as a web designer/developer in addition to his writing and exceptional photography. Sharing in the vision to educate, empower, and inspire his son Zayd and future generations, Maz co-founded Rummana Publishing Inc. with his wife, Randa. Follow Maz’s work on Facebook and Instagram @mazgalini.
Get all 3 of their books (and more to come) from Crescent Moon Store:
Zaydo Potato: A Muslim Superhero
Zaydo Potato: Can Allah See Me Now?
What makes the Zaydo Potato stories so special?
1. They are entertaining:
- fun content
- fun search for the hidden potato in every spread
- fun activities at the end of every story
2. They are educational:
- an islamic hadeeth or aya at the start of every story
- fun, educational activities at the end of every story to help children with (phonics, etc.)
- They are translated into Arabic
3. They contain positive messages of love and empowerment:
- Our characters model greatness by allowing our heroes to achieve success by conquering their struggles.
- Our characters ‘teach’ life skills like empathy and understanding.
- Our characters foster creativity and allow children to investigate right from wrong