Debut author teaches children to embrace being a ‘Funny Duckling’
A common piece of advice often given to budding writers is to ‘write what you know’. For debut author and Qatar resident Zoya Anjum, writing about what she has come to know — within the multicultural melting pot of Doha — has inspired her children’s picture book Funny Duckling, published by Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Press.
With the encouragement and fine-tuning of her nearest and dearest, the author began crafting a story about the lessons she learned having moved to Qatar and which she offers every day as a Learning Assistant at Qatar-Finland International School.
Anjum says she was inspired to write the book when she saw the joy of her children as she read classic quirky tales, like Dr. Seuss, to them and saw their positive reaction to such fantastical stories. The story, of a duck mother and father whose duckling eggs are cared for by many animals before their hatching results in an unexpected sight, teaches complex notions of inclusion and diversity in an easily understood manner.
Anjum recently shared with us her inspiration for the book and how her students and family have received it.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I’ve always enjoyed reading to my children, and my students. In the past, I used to write my own stories in my mother tongue of Urdu, incorporating lots of Dr. Seuss-style rhyming techniques to make the words appeal to younger audiences. Through Dr. Seuss, I could understand how complex ideas could be presented to children in simple ways.
With Funny Duckling, I had written a manuscript but I wanted to make sure that my ideas had the approval of my three children, so their reactions helped to guide the writing process. For example, when they first heard the story, they suggested that it sounded more like a picture book than a regular story. My husband was also very supportive and provided me with a directory of children’s book publishers. I did a lot of research and started sending out my manuscript, where it landed at HBKU Press.
What were your first impressions of seeing your story’s images created by Funny Duckling’s illustrator?
The directory that my husband gave me allowed to let my imagination loose. I could picture the book in my mind by looking at the various art styles that were included. To my surprise, the images that I had created in my head were replicated perfectly by Funny Duckling’s illustrator, Inna Ogando. I wrote to her: ‘It looks like you read my mind!’
What is the message that you wanted to send to young readers through the book?
I come from a diverse background, and my children have been raised in a multicultural environment — to the point that they do not speak fluently in my mother tongue. So I knew that I wanted Funny Duckling to emphasize the positive aspects of diversity and inclusivity. I feel that the medium of a children’s picture book was perfect to deliver this message, and I’ve received a great response from kids of many backgrounds.
Many of the students that I’ve read the book to have made unique observations that I couldn’t have imagined. For example, one student said to me that the idea of the animals in the book looking after the duckling eggs had taught him of the importance of helping others. That occurs much earlier in the book than the later, intended message of celebrating one’s differences. I’ve learned that my interpretation of the book and its message is just one of many.
How has the reaction to Funny Duckling been among your family?
When I told my mother that I was writing a book, she initially didn’t accept my decision. She was also not aware that I was writing in English. I think she was more emotional than I was expecting about this news because she felt that if my father had encouraged me to write at a young age, I could have become an author sooner. However, when my parents saw the manuscript of Funny Duckling and the first illustrations. I could tell that they were very proud.
In October 2018 I sent them copies of the book, and soon more of my family starting asking for copies. When my mother received her copy and turned the cover page, she became very emotional when she saw the dedication: ‘Dedicated to ammi, my mother!’ My mother does not speak English, so I was able to read the story to her in Urdu, which was a beautiful moment. Overall, I’ve felt a great level of support from my family and relatives, and that makes me even prouder.
Funny Duckling is available now and published by HBKU Press.
