Jawi is a fifth year dentistry student, and an author of children's books: all at the age of 21. The field of science and dentistry is quite different from the field of literature and creative writing. So how did Rabab take up writing, and become a published author? Rabab laughed and said, “I always used to love writing but it was only a hobby and I never intended to write professionally. The idea of writing a children's book did not occur to me until my baby nieces became toddlers. I used to go with my sister to bookstores to buy books for her two little girls.” “We were extremely disappointed and shocked to find that most children's books available were originally written in English and translated into Arabic. Most of the Arabic books on the market may have a good story to them but they are not colorful, do not have attractive pictures, or the quality of the paper is low or the language used is too difficult. Children will lose the curiosity and pleasure to read if the book has only lines and lines of black writing and no illustrative pictures.” “There are some excellent Arabic books by Saudi authors, but very few in numbers. In general, children's Arabic literature in the Kingdom is poor. We are lacking entertaining and pleasant books for children, written in Arabic that reflect our religion and match our cultural background.” “What motivated me to write attractive and children's fun books was my two nieces and the following saying: You be the change that you would like to see. If I wished for a change in the scene of the children's literature out there in our country, then I have to do something about it. Last summer I decided that I could do this, and with all praise to Allah, less than one year later my first children's book is in stores.” “It turns out that writing the book was the easiest part! It took me just one month of disciplined work to finish my first project. Then I found an excellent graphic designer to create friendly characters and beautiful pictures. But the hardest part was still to come. I ran into so many obstacles to get a license from the Ministry of Culture and Information, and to find someone to publish my book. The prices that the publishing houses here demand are outrageously high,” she said. Rabab added, “I was so fortunate to have my dad cover the huge costs of publishing my book. However, not all young writers come from affluent families who can financially support them and help them fulfill their dreams.” Behind Rabab's success is the help of Allah, her passion for writing, her family, and her best friend, Lujain Al-Sulaimani. Her delightful book is called “A Trip with Jamil & Jamila” in which Jamil and Jamila travel to the Kingdom of Beauty, with cities on its map such as: City of Knowledge, City of Stories, City of the Well-Behaved, and City of Creativity. The young reader explores each city with Jamil and Jamila and is introduced to interesting people, including a chef, tailor, artist, and scientist. Throughout the whole book, children are taught in a subtle way the Islamic practices that should develop into habits in their daily lives, for example: saying Bismillah before eating, cleanliness, respecting parents and teachers, and frequenting the mosque. These reminders are woven into the stories and adventures in such a delicate way that the child will not feel that someone is talking down to him/her. __
