DUBAI: Through the colorful pages of a new series of children’s books, young readers can embark on a cultural tour across 15 Arab nations from North Africa to the Levant and the Gulf.
The series comes from Joozoori Books (Joozoori means ‘my roots’ in Arabic), founded by Lebanese-Algerian siblings Sarah and Hicham Zaraket and Hicham’s wife, Tunisian-German illustrator Soufeina Zaraket.
Sarah lives in Paris, while Hicham and Soufeina reside in Berlin. However, they haven’t forgotten their roots.
A spread from Joozoori Books’ “My Trip to Saudi Arabia,” illustrated by Sarah Marey. (Supplied)
“We know what it’s like to live away from your home and family. We also know how important it is to be rooted in your heritage and culture,” Sarah tells Arab News. The idea for Joozoori was as a result of the Zaraket family not finding genuine, fun children’s books for their own kids that demonstrated the Arab world’s varied cultures and offered a sense of connection to their heritage.
Each book can be customized with the reader’s name printed in Arabic on the front cover — “Arwa’s Trip to Iraq,” for example. According to the company website, “When a child sees their name on a book, it makes them feel like they are truly a part of its events and are more likely to retain its message.”
The books are also bilingual: the original text is in standard Arabic, and readers can select a second accompanying language: English, French, or an Arabic dialect. Readers should also specify their gender, as the story’s language will be adjusted accordingly.
(L to R) Sarah Zaraket (co-founder of Joozoori), Zarifi Haidar (illustrator), Samar Mahfouz Barraj (author), Maya Fidawi (illustrator), Lara Jannoun (graphic designer). (Supplied)
The stories were written by Lebanese-born author Samar Mahfouz Barraj, and their detailed illustrations were created by various illustrators from around the region, shining a light on Arab talent. The team also collaborated with dozens of cultural advisors to get the tiniest of details of each country’s cultural life and historical background — from national clothing to local cuisine — as accurate as possible.
Aside from the books, the team has also developed posters to teach youngsters how to count and spell. The letters and numbers are accompanied by images of local symbols — ornamental coffee cups, incense holders decorated with palm trees, and metallic ‘dallah’ coffee pots in Saudi Arabia, for example.
The books all follow a similar plot: A child living in the capital city of a country with their family loses their talking cat and, while searching for their pet on the streets – in the company of a local bird, the child discovers five different cities — perhaps at the seaside, or in the mountains, or among historical ruins — in their country. The books also offer a window into the everyday moments in friendly neighborhoods and old markets.
“My Trip to Saudi Arabia.” (Supplied)
“The details of our illustrations are there so parents can interact with the kids. The goal is to spark conversations,” says Sarah. The books’ target audience is children aged 3 to 12, but they’ve also proven to be a hit with adults.
“My Trip to Saudi Arabia” was illustrated by Sarah Marey, who lived in the Kingdom for more than 18 years. The story begins in Riyadh. A boy wearing a traditional white thobe is looking for his cat Nala (apparently a common name for felines in Saudi), in his bedroom. His adventures take him as far as the Makkah province, Jeddah, and the archaeological jewel of AlUla. One of the featured locations is Jeddah’s vibrant and open-air market, Souk Al-Balad. The boy runs joyously through its paths, populated with merchants and customers.
“Abdallah looked around at all the goods displayed in the shops,” reads the text. “He loved the smell of the delicious traditional foods floating in the air.” And the story does mention specific Saudi delicacies such as kleicha, a sort of cookie from Al-Qasim province traditionally filled with sweet date paste.
The country’s modern and traditional architecture is also explored in the story. The child flies over well-known monuments including the Kingdom Centre Tower and the Clock Towers near the Kaaba.
Whether the story is set in Saudi, Morocco, or Jordan, Joozoori is a labor of love, a celebration of culture, an attempt to build familial bonds and a community around the world.
“It’s a cultural platform that can reunite Arabs. We want all Arabs to love their countries and develop a bond with their kids,” says Sarah. “We’re lucky that our Arabic language unites us, why can’t we bond over other things?”
