Author Features: Tahira Karim
Meet Tahira Karim, the second author of our feature series and the mind behind “Doing What We Want: An Alphabet Book for Girls.” Read below to find out more about Tahira and her work.
How did you end up being the author of children’s books?
I’ve always worked with children, and enjoyed it. I’ve also adored children’s books for their art and illustrations. Back in 2005 I was studying animation at the Emily Carr University in Vancouver, and authoring children’s books never quite occurred to me at that point. However upon beginning a degree in teaching in 2010 I found myself drawn to literacy and the teaching library at the University of Victoria. I thought it would be interesting to write a children’s book based on lists careers and things that I had loved as a child in order to promote literacy and love of reading. I began the ‘bones’ of Doing What We Want back then. Upon working with children in Calgary and later Peru, I came back to finish that book because I realized it would be needed in this world. As the book came into being, I found that I enjoyed working in tandem on ideas, writing and illustrations.
Why did you choose children’s books over other audiences?
There is something lovely about the simplicity of children’s books to capture and disseminate grand ideas through a few words and a lot of pictures. Furthermore pictures are a visual language that are discernible world-wide no matter what language one speaks. And as I have always loved children’s books, everything that has lead to my authoring and illustrating for children made sense.
What drew you to writing about careers and to choose young girls as your target audience?
Having grown up in a household where education was of pivotal importance, it had become so, also, for myself. With my parents having come to Canada from elsewhere, I had also been made aware of my privilege to have access to good education, from a young age. As I learned about various issues that many women and girls face world wide along with learning about how hard it is for girls to be educated world-wide, I wanted to do something. I wanted girls to be educated, and to grow up believing that they can do anything. Thus merging this idea with early childhood education and literacy the idea for Doing What We Want emerged. I believe that if we can get girls exposed to various careers and words and ideas from a young age that we have a much better chance a inspiring them to first understand possibilities and then reach for them. My intention in having each letter allude to a different girl of colour with a different name was also that if girls could see versions of themselves in the book that they could begin to visualize these possibilities for themselves. It is important for all girls to have good examples.
Your career has largely revolved around bringing art and education together, could you explain the benefit you have seen in combining those two fields?
Going back to my background in arts and then later studying education I realized the great potential of the creation of books by a person interested in social justice with the understanding of what goes into teaching and curriculum as the author and also the artist to write and illustrate books directly for children. Such a person would have a good understanding of various children, and what they need, how children learn, along with the where with all to create pictures that further the meaning and ideas of the words.
What do you think is missing in the current curriculum and literature of youth today?
This is a tough question but I really do think that the focus should be on empathy and relationships. I honestly didn’t used to think this way until I began teaching in the classroom and realized just how important developing communication and responsibility and respect were to everything else children do at school. If children can be taught empathy and healthy life and relationship skills we are helping to set them up for a happy productive life, where they in turn can help the next generation. We need books that address these topics.
If you were to leave your readers with one message, what would it be?
I think my message for all children and people would be two-fold. Yes it’s possible, and, never stop trying.
What are you hoping will be the next steps for you and for your books?
This is also a tough question. I want to get this book to girls and actually children all over the world in all languages so that they can all be inspired, even the ones that do not perhaps attend school. I also want to keep writing books for children but books that always merge education with fun. Books where all types and ethnicities of children can see themselves. Books where diversity and pluralism take the forefront.
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