An insight on a children's storybook about the importance of wearing a mask - with a South Asian female lead.
By Monika Sharma
The children’s storybook “Malika’s Magical Mask” dives into the life of young Malika, a fourth-grade student who tries to navigate her everyday life with the circumstances COVID-19 has brought upon communities. After discussing with co-author Suchet “Arsh” Gill about which influences and inspirations it took to create a story with characters who reflect many of us, I was able to get a glimpse of what it is like to publish a book like this one. The situations people on a global scale are dealing with and solutions we all hope to see in the near future are depicted in a way that is accessible and easy to retain for children.
A South Asian female lead, a young boy whose mother can become compromised if infected with COVID-19, and a classmate who does not yet understand the consequences of not wearing face protection, all embark on a journey of protecting themselves to help others. Each character’s differences are incorporated in such a way that it is unique to them. Discussion is brought upon readers and encourages thoughtfulness and an open mind to those in our community who are at-risk, or to those who need more time to process the consequences of not wearing a mask. Arsh explains more in-depth about how having the characters come from largely marginalized groups of people impacted her by stating, “When I was growing up, there were not many storybooks that featured girls like me. With this book, we wanted children to be able to see themselves reflected in the characters and think if Malika and her friends could get through this, so could they!” This story represents larger conversations from all angles of today’s society and is done in such a way that children can learn from and become involved in their community’s teachings.
These three resilient women who wrote the book balanced school, work, family, and several other duties all the while informing our community about the importance of wearing a mask, and executed it in a way that a younger audience could retain and appreciate. Co-author Mehry Kianfar, a family doctor and mother of four, explains that, “the idea of the story came about when thinking about how to explain all the new school rules to my children. I thought it would be important for the kids to understand why wearing a mask is an expression of love for others rather than another rule to follow.” A powerful message is being sent to communities that wearing face coverings that protect the mouth and nose is a sign of kindness that is being extended towards the millions that are at-risk and to those who are currently suffering.
The journey and conflicts that each character takes not only comes alive through the book’s rhymes and messages, but also through the illustrations that tie each sentence together. The accurate cultural representation of ethnic clothing, informative images, school settings that we all recognize, the personalized masks with a variety of colors, and the appropriate way to wear them are all depicted through each flip of a page. Illustrator Jamila Siddiqui, a registered nurse, and a mother of three explains how the act of drawing this out came to be, “I was given a basic guideline as to how the authors wanted the characters to look. After reading the text for the story I tried to imagine how the characters might look in my head. I then started some rough sketches and adjusted the faces until I was happy with how they looked.” No storybook is complete without depictions of the characters in action, but the message that Jamila was able to capture, takes readers into the life of Malika and her community.
The diversity, representation, and dedication shown through each and every page is just what many of us need during these times, and is what will get our kids motivated and informed about today’s circumstances. We are all still learning how COVID-19 is going to impact us, and it is best to keep informed, and what better way then to start off with teaching the younger generation. You can purchase this story on Amazon in paperback or the Kindle version. To follow along with their journey of writing, illustrating, and publishing check out their Instagram account @malikasmagicalmask. Also, before you add it to your cart, a huge thanks goes to Martharoot Malungu, a friend of the creators and someone who assisted them along their journey of publishing!