Lofty ideas behind books for little ones

Hala Khalaf

• Last Updated: February 07. 2009 3:05PM UAE / February 7. 2009 11:05AM GMT

ABU DHABI // There would seem to be no loftier ambition for a local children’s author than to produce the first Arabic Where the Wild Things Are, or The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

But two women helping to conduct the country’s first workshop for aspiring children’s Arab writers and illustrators in Sharjah are hoping to contribute to something even greater: the long-term survival of the Arabic language.

“In our Arab culture, unfortunately, children’s books were written in an adult language or just translated books for years,” said one of them, Fatima Sharafeddine, from Lebanon, who has published more than 30 children’s books.

“Up until the past 10 years or so, there was nothing that was originally written in Arabic that deals with the current issues in an Arab child’s life.”

The two-day workshop, which starts tomorrow, aims to help Emirati and UAE-based writers pursue a career in children’s literature, as part of a national drive to get children reading in their mother tongue and stay connected to their heritage.

Some observers fear that young Emiratis, particularly those at English-language schools, are not learning Arabic well enough.

For decades, the only books available in Arabic to children have been translated from western titles, intricate stories of Islamic characters, or about serious subjects such as science and history. Few were written in simple, direct language or able to delight a child’s imagination.

The workshop, organised by Kalimat, a publishing house specialising in Arabic children’s books, will run through the entire process of producing a children’s book – from creating and illustrating a character to developing a plot. It will be held at the Supreme Council of Family Affairs building.

Lujaina al Aseel, a Syrian illustrator who will also teach at the workshop, noted that the artwork was just as important as words to kids.

“Each illustration is a story in and of itself and has to speak out to a child,” she said.

“You are developing a child’s mind with words and images and providing an introduction to subjects like environment, heritage, culture, or whatever is happening in the life of a child. The artist has to draw simply but with creativity that will appeal to a child’s imagination. The child has to be able to identify with the work.”

Dareen Charafeddine, a senior editor at Kalimat, said the publishing house “can easily get English books and translate them to Arabic, but that’s not what we do.

“We want to work with Arab authors and illustrators and get them to look at children’s literature differently.”

She added that, as a child, she herself disliked reading in Arabic.

“The books were very low quality and written in a preaching tone without respecting a child’s mind and interests and needs. When you write for kids, you have to use simple language but without talking down to the child or underestimating.”

She added that, with 120 million children in the Arab world, reading had to be encouraged to preserve the language. “But to get our kids to pick up a book, that book has to be good enough to capture their interest.”

According to Mrs al Aseel, the norm has been for aspiring writers in the Middle East to launch their careers by writing for children first, then “upgrading” to serious fiction.

“This is so wrong,” she said. “Writing and drawing for children is a work of respect. You have to get close to a child’s mind without lessening his or her importance. Children’s book authors and illustrators have to be very aware of today, of what’s modern, so the work is fresh and reflective of a child’s life.”

Added Mrs Sharafeddine: “Writing for children is not easier than writing for adults. You have to tell a story in 500 words, so you have to really know which words to use.

“We need to improve Arabic children’s literature and teach other writers how to do it, to ensure we create a library of quality titles for children to be able to choose from, in Arabic.”

JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, was credited helping spark a renaissance in children’s literature through the simplicity of her writing.