Sharjah24: An international award-winning illustrator and a regional artist got together at the ongoing 15th annual Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) to discuss various cultural representations prevalent in today’s children’s books.

Audience attending the panel discussion – and moderated by Emirati poet Sheikha Al Mutairi – heard from Mexican-American author Raul The Third and Emirati Maryam Rashid Al Zaabi who offered a range of perspectives from illustrated novels.

“Drawings are helpful for a child to escape into a another world, think through problems they might be having, think about characters they are reading about and escape the place they are in to get lost in the pictures,” said Raul The Third, a New York Times bestselling author and three-time Pura Belpre award-winning illustrator and artist who grew up in El Paso and the neighbouring Mexican city of Juarez before settling down in Boston. 

“Pictures that a child is looking at can be a reflection of the world they are living in. I began to create pictures as a child based on what I saw around me in the border town I grew up in,” he added. 
The discussion went on to explore the incorporation of various perspectives and cultural representations in illustrated novels, highlighting the importance of diversity in children's literature. 

“As a child, I would search for books that were a reflection of where I was living, but once I began to develop a style, I realised I could begin to create a world that could show the amazing town I grew up in Mexico. Through my illustrations, I was able to soon share about my upbringing, just like how other children would incorporate their world in their art, irrespective of where they came from,” added the comic book and graphic novel illustrator known for his works on the SpongeBob SquarePants comic, among other titles.

Talented UAE artist Al Zaabi spoke about breaking existing norms and thinking out of the box. “Today there are rules in drawing but what about breaking those rules to create new characters, add new parts to characters that did not exist previously?,” asked the digital content creator whose list of clients include names like Netflix and Expo 2020 Dubai. 

“We must create new ideas to see new forms take shape, breathe new imagination into a picture. We have to make sure creativity does not stand in the way of an idea but instead helps bring it to life,” she added. 

She then went on to talk about characterisation of animals in children’s books to further highlight how illustrated novels play a crucial role in shaping children's perceptions of the world around them. “I love children's books themed on animals. We as humans do not know the language of animals, but if we were to give an animal the role of talking to a child, we could imagine what it would sound like. I like the fact that children’s books prominently feature animals because it lets a child imagine how they sound,” she further noted.

Running until May 12 in Expo Centre Sharjah, SCRF 2024 is organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and carries the theme ‘Once Upon a Hero’.