The Making of "عِنْدَ الطَعام"
Before entering the world of publishing I was always curious about how books came to life. Perhaps you wonder the same, or perhaps not. Either way, I thought it might be a little interesting, and exciting even, to step behind the scenes into the making of this sweet book with one of our favorite illustrators, Dina Fawakhiri!
Before beginning the illustrations of this book, I knew I wanted to create a juxtaposition between two characters to really drive home the idea of what is "right" and what is "real"... I was looking for a touch of humor, which let's face it, all kids love. It was also important for me that the reader could relate to the characters without any risk of shaming because we recognize that kids are kids and that they are still learning how to navigate their independent eating and above all, how to behave at the table. We're not talking simply about how to physically hold a spoon or fork and eat alone but around the etiquette that comes with being seated at the table and the general attitude one should have. Like everything else in life, anything that needs to be learned is a process. And this is where little dino steps in...
Our cheeky dino hero represents almost every child out there: the picky eater, the fidgety eater, the distracted eater, the risk-averse eater.. but amidst all those challenges and all that chaos at the table, he is ultimately full of love and gratitude and always downright adorable. The little boy on the other hand plays the role of the perfect child, always doing everything right, which lets face it, no child is or ever will be. It's simply a fun way of demonstrating the proper or right thing to do, while making the little boy a positive motivation and "teacher" for our little ones.
Because of the ying/yang or push and pull between these two main characters, it was very important that the illustrations be fun and playful, because while we recognize mealtime manners and table etiquette as a serious and important topic, one must never take parenting too seriously and little dino serves to remind us this. The colors are punchy, vibrant and attractive and the script is short and simple. The rhyming text makes it easy on the ears and is rather straightforward for children to remember, and eventually even read along. We've also peppered the illustrations with sweet, relatable details for children to discover.
We really hope you love our new book and we very much look forward to hearing your feedback and seeing your little ones engage with it.
As always, thank-you for being here and Happy Reading!
