A Bahrain-based author is preparing to publish her second children’s book after the summer.
Following the huge success of her debut book The Magical Ostrich in 2015, Jordanian born author Muna Imad Rabieh is in the final stages of releasing a book about an otter, which is set to be launched in September.
“The new book is about an otter that loses his reflection and sets off on a journey to find it,” Ms Rabieh told the GDN.
“In failing to do so, he seeks the help of animals he encounters and asks them to describe the way he looks.
“He draws a sketch of what they tell him only to realise it looks nothing like he remembers of himself.”
The 30-year-old chose to launch the book in September to coincide with the re-opening of the new academic year in the country.
As with her first book, the story is written, presented and developed to support the learning environment in a classroom.
“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in life is not to derive my self-worth from those around me; it has to be something I seek from within,” she said.
“As a teacher, I find myself wanting to share these lessons in a fun way with the children I teach.
“The otter story addresses how easy it is for us to absorb what others perceive about us as our own reality.
“The problem is that, at times, what others perceive is merely a projection of their own flaws and shortcomings.
“The story highlights the importance of relying on oneself to assess one’s self-image and self-worth as well as owning the power within.
“I know it sounds heavy, but it’s written in a light-hearted way, I promise.”
She regards children’s books as a tool to discuss key issues affecting young members of society.
“Writing children’s books is important to me because it allows me to address pertinent issues in a light way,” she said.
“Children absorb a lot of information from stories, so it is a great tool to send strong messages to them.
“In fact, I’m thinking of publishing a series of books together that tackle a number of social issues in a manner that can be understood by children.
“The goal is to create a series that addresses important social issues like empathy, bullying, self-worth and acceptance.
“The only draft I have completed thus far is the one about the otter, which addresses how one obtains their self-worth and self-image.”
Since publishing The Magical Ostrich, Ms Rabieh explained that her writing has given her “confidence that there is readership” for her books.
“There are parents who see the value in the messages I’m trying to send and who are eager to share my story with their children and friends,” she added.
“This time around, I will be publishing the book in English, so I am interested in seeing how different, if at all, the reaction and feedback will be in the market.
“I hope that the strong moral lessons layered in my upcoming children’s book series will do as well as, if not better than, The Magical Ostrich.”
The distribution and pricing for the upcoming book is yet to be announced, so watch this space for further announcements.