There has been lots of research pointing to multiple positive outcomes of parents reading books with their children. Somali people have a strong oral tradition of beautiful poetry, but written language can intimidate parents. This is why Abdulaziz Xildhiban and John Lumgair created the first Somali pre-school book series to help young children learn their first words—encouraging them on the first steps of learning. They were translated into Somali, English, Finnish and Swedish.