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Bahrain-based author Muna Rabieh continues her mission of teaching youngsters important life skills by unveiling her sixth colourfully creative children’s book this Saturday, writes Mai Al-Khatib Camille.
The 32-page book, What’s THAT Outside?’ tells the tale of five animal characters— Ollie the koala from Australia, Rama the red panda from Nepal, Zo the ring-tailed lemur from Madagascar, Kevin the white owl from Canada and Alma the pink-fairy armadillo from Argentina — spending their first night at a summer camp that starts with disagreements followed by unity.
“They realise that there’s something lurking outside their cabin, but they can’t agree on what it is,” said the 36-year-old Jordanian educator from Amwaj Islands. “Each one is convinced that their perspective is right and everyone else is wrong, so they argue over who truly figured it out.
“Eventually, they decide to work together and piece their perspectives to get a clear sense of the bigger picture. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but it ends up being a fun surprise for them!”
According to Muna, who traded a career in banking for more creative pursuits, the concept behind the book is to illustrate to children that although what we see, hear or feel might be true, the stories we tell ourselves about what that all means might not be.
“It’s also a way to point out how we each have different strengths,” added the author. “If my eyesight is better than yours, then I might see things you don’t see. Does the fact that I’m the only one seeing it mean it’s in my head? Of course not. And so how can those around me respect and accept my perspective without dismissing it, even if they can’t relate to what I’m saying? And of course, the question that follows is, how can I show up that way with those around me as well?”
The book comes with a ‘What To Do When You Can’t Agree’ message at the end that explains how people can learn to consider events from the viewpoints of those around us.
“Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we spent more time trying to understand each other’s experiences instead of focusing on our own perspectives?” she said. “My hope is that this book will help children navigate uncomfortable disagreements with compassion and collaboration.”
Muna has been helping children better understand their emotions through her cute creatures built around animals.
The Magical Ostrich in 2015 was written in Arabic and then came the others in English. Otter was published in 2019, followed by Kobe and His Sudden ANGER, Luna and Her Blue Stripes and Freckles and His BIG Worries in 2021.
“I find that with children’s books you can relay messages that may be considered a little heavy in a light and fun way,” she said. “It’s also a great way to speak to parents and their inner child as well. I hope my books are planting healthy seeds in the minds of young children; seeds that will help them overcome life’s difficulties.”
Muna is also working on building an educational platform that animates the stories and complements them with social and emotional learning programmes that enable children to apply the lessons from these stories into their day-to-day lives.
“As for what mysterious animal lurking outside their cabin is… well, you’ll have to join the book launch to find out!”
Her book will be launched on May 6 at 9.30am at Neo Books and Coffee.
For details, follow @awonderwithin on Instagram.
