"Writing is about leaving a tiny bit of legacy and mark to your family, our offsprings and even better for the next generation of society. If i could give any advice to those who choose to write, I would echo the same and encourage those who have stories to tell to never stop writing."
Welcome to our second Writer Feature! This month we're exhilarated to be featuring the author of The Big Bear and Little Boat, Hajar Aman Shah!
The Big Bear & Little Boat is a fun children's book written by Hajar Aman Shah and illustrated by Farahi Ahmad. The story follows the adventure of the Malaysian Sun Bear in the peaceful rainforest, cruising peacefully in his little boat! He is a big bear, with a big problem. Will he overcome his BIG trouble?
Check out the interview we had with Hajar Aman Shah!
1. Can you tell us about your writing process?
My writing process usually starts off with a story board drawing and rough sketches, and as i type through the story, it would usually change. Writing a children's book especially, requires some sort of repetition and rhyming. It would take me 3-4 hours in one sitting for the whole story to be complete, and i would take another day for about 2-3 hours for minor tweaking with a fresh pair of glasses.
2. Why do you choose to write on the topics that you do?
The Sekolah Rimba series are generally stories about coexisting and the social relationship with the Malaysian flora and fauna as the backdrop. We can learn a lot from harmonious symbiosis around us, especially the untapped awareness for our unique animals.
We grew up listening to the tales of “Sang Kancil” and we can hear the tales being retold. But there are also many local animals, some endangered, that our children are not familiar with. As a mother of 5, I would like to keep this Malaysian treasure for my children and their children, and hope that it would never be forgotten. What would be better is that if we can also protect them in their natural habitat.
3. Why do you choose to write in the genre that you do?
I chose to write a children's picture book because I would like to instil a reading habit from a very young age. I would like to be part of a society which contributes in providing quality children’s books for our own younger generation. Instead of picking up Old McDonald’s Animal Farm books, it would be amazing if our children know by heart about the hornbills and the sun bears residing in the Malaysian jungle. Instead of just lions and giraffes, they could also be fluent with tapirs and tigers.
4. What is one piece of advice that you have for aspiring writers of children’s books?
The best advice i was given in writing, is to just write. Make writing as a process to flow out our imagination, as a medium to record memories or lessons. Writing is about leaving a tiny bit of legacy and mark to your family, our offsprings and even better for the next generation of society. If i could give any advice to those who choose to write, I would echo the same and encourage those who have stories to tell to never stop writing.
5. What effect are you hoping to have with your work?
I hope my work could effect the society that take pride and respect for the flora and fauna of Malaysia. The longevity and existence would thrive and flourish for many generations to come if my work would effect people to take a stand in protecting this national treasure. A society which lives in a healthy relationship, not just between men, but also the nature.
6. What’s your biggest challenge as a writer?
As someone who works in self-publishing and am going through the process alone, the biggest challenge for me is setting up own deadlines and sticking to it. It helps to outsource and to set up a temporary team to get the project moving, and keeping myself on my toes. I am fortunate that I have yet to stumble upon writer’s block, but I am sure that day will dreadfully come.
7. Where can readers purchase your book?
At the moment, readers can purchase my book through my online link https://linktr.ee/TheLittleBigBook , where you can also get connected with me from other social media platform. Click and fill in your details to order, and the books will be printed and sent to you within 5-7 working days.
8. Are you working on any new writing projects? Could you tell us a bit about it?
I am currently finishing the illustrations for my second book, “The Little Hornbill and its Big Beak”, this time highlighting the array of local bird species, especially the Oriental Pied Hornbill. It is a story of the shy and self-conscious hornbill which thinks that it has too big of a beak compared to the rest of the birds it sees. Which then, throughout the story, it soon realises that its big beak is very much useful and helpful to the other animals.
Thank you so much Hajar Aman Shah for sharing your thoughts and experience with us! We hope that the children of this generation and the next will get to know about the precious animals native to the Malaysian flora and fauna through your amazing books.
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