Why a letter changes shape

بـ ـبـ ـب

Arabic is written from right to left, and most letters hold hands. ب alone looks like a boat. At the start of a word it grows a tail toward the next letter. In the middle it is a small seat between two joins. At the end it keeps a tail on the right and the boat on the left.

The dot does not move to the top. One dot underneath still means baa, in every shape. The first book shows all four shapes on one page so you can match them.