By Syeda Amtul
Saudi Gazette
An aspiring Saudi publisher is soon going to release her new book. Thuraya Adel Batterjee, founder of Visual Art Club and owner of Kadi and Ramadi (K&R) publishing house that specializes in children’s books, said “A Hero’s Hat” explores the story of a young boy whose soldier father went to the border to fight.
The book talks about soldiers defending the country in a simple and reassuring way that is suitable for young readers. The release of the book is well-timed in the context of celebrations marking the Kingdom’s 86th National Day.
When asked about the goal behind the story, Batterjee said, “It’s a patriotic story aiming to reinforce our children’s connection with their country and appreciation toward its soldiers. It also aims to explain to them without scaring them what it means to defend one’s homeland.”
The story is in the form of a narrative by the child. It is set in the background of the twitchy life of the soldier’s family as he cannot contact them regularly while defending his country’s borders.
“The story refers to ‘Operation Storm of Resolve’ in a Saudi setting that shows social solidarity between family, friends and neighbors,” said Batterjee.
“A Hero’s Hat” is written by Rand Adel Saber, who holds a bachelor’s degree in special education, and is illustrated by Sarah Taibah, founder of Rasma & Kilma Illustration and Design House.
“We should appreciate those soldiers who protect our borders and we know adults appreciate their sacrifices differently than children. They see and hear but nobody is explaining to them what is going on because adults want to protect children from being scared. This is a simple book to show that it is okay to empathize with the hero of the book — a young boy whose father has gone to war to protect the homeland,” Batterjee said.
“End of the day, he was proud and happy, so the message behind the story is to help children understand and appreciate the sacrifices of soldiers,” she added.
Batterjee’s desire to find interesting and well-illustrated material for her children to read led her to establish a career for herself as a publisher of children’s books.
Her children being her prime source of inspiration, Batterjee realized the need for providing other children, too, with books of their age and taste.
“I believe reading is very important on so many levels, especially when children are young. The first level is education for children who read a lot can do much better at school. The second thing is confidence. Those kids who read are better informed, more articulate and feel more confident. It’s like an open gate to knowledge,” Batterjee said.
According to Batterjee, this inspired her to be involved in promoting reading among children and eventually establishing her own publishing house, which has attempted to change the way children’s books are designed and published in the Kingdom.
Officially, Batterjee’s publishing career kicked off in 2006. The first book published by her publishing house was “Sabah-ut-Eid.” It is a story of a four-year-old boy who enjoys his Eid in line with Islamic traditions and Saudi culture. It was well liked by children.
Explaining the process behind publishing a book, Batterjee said they first collect stories from different authors. Then after exhaustive discussions, a committee selects a story, an illustrator is found and a dummy copy is prepared to obtain an ISBN number. After printing, the book is checked thoroughly and then distributed all over the Kingdom and other Arab countries.
Batterjee said she tries her best to ensure that the entire procedure does not take more than six months.
Working for over 10 years in the publishing business, Batterjee feels that a lot has improved but still a lot more needs to be done. Stepping forward in her publishing work, currently she is working on an app, which she is planning to launch in two weeks.
“To be honest, our field is not a profitable one yet, but it is surefire rewarding. Publishing is a career, which requires continuous effort and lots of time. Now we are working on our app and God willing, it will be on Apple Store in two weeks. This is kind of electronic publishing. Even though we have our print editions, electronic versions will have more outreach. We have added more activities of arts along with educational videos related to the books,” she said.
Batterjee gives lots of importance to illustrating of her characters, whose expressions and body language have to be checked time and again to match the story. And, they should also stimulate the child to read the book and come back to it again and again.
Batterjee has completed her bachelor’s degree in economics and has obtained diplomas in art, illustration, design, animation and small enterprise management, which help her develop her business.
She has also conducted many seminars and workshops, giving lectures promoting reading among children in schools and summer camps.
“Fitakonina Bekhair” (You Will Be Okay) is one of her favorite books. A young girl whose mother was suffering from breast cancer wrote it. The book sheds light on how to remain positive when a close member of a family is ill.
“My aim is always to create quality books, which reflects our Saudi and Islamic culture and heritage,” Batterjee said.
